Wandering in the darkness
by Eragon2208
Summary: Fenris Ward was just a normal kid, until one day his entire world was taken away from him. Now, he's on a quest to find out why. His adventures take him to the one guild who can help him discover the secrets around the destruction of his home…and to the girl who would change his life forever. A retelling of the Fairy Tail story from the eyes of a new hero. (OCxOC pairing)
1. Prologue

**Author's note:**

**Hello! This is my first time making a fanfiction so thank you for reading! Hopefully, you find my story intriguing enough to continue reading after the prologue. This story is going to follow the Fairy Tail timeline, but from the eyes of my OC. I do not yet know how often I will be updating, but I am planning on it to be at least a chapter a week if it generates enough interest. I hope you enjoy!**

**Special thanks to my awesome Beta Reader, FeebleHearts!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. That privilege belongs to Hiro Mashima. **

Year: X773

Place: Sphere Island

A typically sunny day on Sphere Island led to one of the greatest adventures in Magnolia. However, this adventure started with disaster. The only village on Sphere Island was located on the west side of the island. The east side was occupied by a large mountain range that prevented the villagers from gaining access to the eastern shore. Because of this, the village had been isolated from the mainland ever since its inhabitants moved there. This isolation meant the villagers didn't stand a chance against the evil that was coming.

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"Honey, do you know where Fenris is? It's getting late and I haven't seen him at all today," Dominic Ward asked his wife. It was a Tuesday afternoon around 6:00PM. Normally around this time the Ward family would be getting ready for dinner and settling down for the night.

The Wards lived a simple life on Sphere Island. Dominic was a blacksmith so he made a modest living. Fenris' mother, Arianna, ran the store where they sold Dominic's work. Dominic had built their home right above the store, making it easy for them to get Fenris to work whenever he didn't have school. And although Dominic and Arianna loved their lives, Fenris had never been one to settle. He wanted something more in life other than taking over the family business.

Being an only child, Fenris' parents were always worrying about him, even if nothing ever happened on Sphere Island. Fenris loved to hang out with his friends most evenings, but he always knew when it was time to come home for dinner. For this reason, Arianna began to worry about her son.

"I think he's with Emmett and some others but I can't say for sure," she said.

"He's been so restless lately, have you noticed?" said Dominic.

"He's always going on about wanting to leave the island honey. It's nothing new."

Crossing his arms, Dominic frowned. "It's different lately. He seems more…agitated." _Maybe I should talk to him…I suppose I haven't been paying enough attention as a father._

"If he's not back soon we should go look for him. Knowing him and his friends they're probably out in the forest. It's not safe out there at night. I think I've been hearing wolves lately," said Dominic.

"Hmmm…that's not right. There hasn't ever been a wolf sighting on this island from what I've heard. Perhaps we should look for him now just to be safe," said Arianna.

Dominic nodded in response.

Five minutes later Mr. and Mrs. Ward walked out the door and were heading down the road to the forest. After just a few steps, they heard a scream from somewhere in the village. Arianna clung to Dominic's arm. "What the hell was that?" she asked, her voice laced with fear.

"I'm not sure but we need to find Fenris now. I'll look for him. You go back to the house and lock the door until I get back."

Before she could respond, the house next door exploded; the force of the blast throwing them hard against the ground. A group of hooded figures jumped out from behind a house and ran at them. Arianna let out a scream right before the figures' hands began glowing…

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A little before 6:00 PM in the Knetto Forest right outside of the village

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"I totally got you Emmett you're cheating!" screamed Fenris Ward. He dodged a tree branch as he ran through the forest. Emmett just laughed as he ran in the opposite direction. Fenris re-slung his sling-shot right before dodging a rock from Ben who was hiding behind a tree to his right. He knew his parents would be mad at him for using rocks with his sling-shot. He got in trouble before but he was positive he wouldn't get hit this time so he wouldn't have to hide any bruises. He shivered, thinking he should've brought his coat out since Autumn was ending soon and the weather was getting colder.

Fenris was a short kid, of course he was only 6 years old so he had time to grow. He was a fairly average looking child, although there were some odd details about his face. For one, both his hair color and his eyes were a silverish color. What was really odd about this was that both his parents were brunettes with dark brown eyes. Nobody really understood why he had this odd coloring, but as he grew up people just seemed to accept it. Other than this, Fenris was just a normal, carefree kid who loves to have fun with his friends.

As he continued running through the forest he spotted Llewllyn hiding behind a tree. He stopped and jumped behind a tree himself before Llewllyn spotted him. He snuck from tree to tree until he was just a few feet behind Llewllyn. Right as he lifted the sling to shoot Llewllyn there was a huge explosion that rocked the entire forest. The force of the explosion was so great he fell to the ground and shot his rock straight into the sky. Llewllyn had fallen as well but jumped to his feet just a few seconds later and screamed "What the hell was that?!"

Ben and Emmett ran up to them panting. "It was some kind of explosion in the village we need to get over there NOW!" screamed Emmett.

"What if it was something dangerous though?" asked Ben. "Maybe we should just stay put until our parents come looking for us."

Suddenly they all heard a piercing scream that was cut off almost seconds later by a _bang s_ound. "I need to go to my parents. Something's wrong we all need to go. Come on," said Fenris.

He knew something was up. Nothing ever happened on this island. That's one of the things he found somewhat boring about living on Sphere Island. Although he loved his family and friends, he always wanted to go to the mainland. He had heard stories of all the famous guilds that went on all sorts of adventures. He could never remember the exact names of the guilds but he knew they all had powerful mages. He didn't have any powers himself so he knew he could never be a part of any kind of guild. That's one of the reasons he accepted his lot in life and knew he would never be able to leave.

As Fenris and his friends ran through the forest they heard yet another scream. Followed by another and another until it seemed as if the entire village was screaming. Then came the laughter. It was the most cynical laughter Fenris had ever heard. He began to tremble as he ran and knew his courage wouldn't last very long. At the edge of the forest they all stopped.

"Okay once we all get to our families we need to meet back here. We can all hide in the forest until this is over," said Emmett. As the words left his lips an entire line of houses exploded in the distance and the laughter intensified.

"GO NOW!" screamed Fenris and ran. He only hoped his family was okay. He glanced back and saw his friends run in different directions. As he got further into the village he began to come across other villagers. He then realized they were all running in the opposite direction. Fenris didn't pretend to be the bravest kid. He was scared. More scared than he had ever been in his entire life.

As he ran further into the village Fenris noticed that almost all of the houses were completely destroyed or on fire. People were trying to put out the houses still on fire, but nothing seemed to be working. The ones that had already burned down were left with nothing standing. There were debris everywhere. Fenris had to jump over broken doors, destroyed timber, and…bodies.

Lying amongst the broken houses were bodies sprawled out on the ground. He knew a lot of the people from those destroyed homes and knew that most of the people lying on the ground were never going to get back up. Fenris felt a sense of panic and fear well up inside him. He began tearing up. He couldn't take this...why was this even happening?

As Fenris continued running through the village to his own home, grief building up as he ran past the bodies wishing he could help them, a woman ran out of a house just in front of him. She was screaming for help and just as he was about to run up to her there was a bright light that caused him to shut his eyes without even thinking. When he opened them, the woman was lying on the ground. He frantically looked around but there didn't seem to be anyone. He tripped a few feet away from her and fell over her back.

He screamed, "Wake up, please!" There was no response. He rolled over her so he could her face. It was Emmett's mom. He saw the glazed look on her face…and knew she was gone.

He screamed and tore at his hair. Emmett's mom had always been so kind to him. She was always giving him sweets whenever he visited. She was almost like a second mother.

The fear was overwhelming him as he stared at her lifeless body. He couldn't understand what was happening. He just wanted his parents.

He got up as quickly as he could and continued running, his legs tripped up as he ran. He made the last turn to his house and stopped short. He gaped at the scene. His house, along with the rest of the houses around it, was completely destroyed. Bodies were lying on top of the debris. He began crying, thinking of what could possibly have happened to his parents. As Fenris got to his own house he began throwing boards and other debris around looking for his family.

Screaming for his parents, it took him a good 10 minutes before he finally found a body lying face down. He stopped, his breath catching.

He slowly turned the body around, and was face to face with his mother. He broke down almost immediately. He began shaking her, screaming "MOM WAKE UP! YOU HAVE TO GET UP WE NEED TO LEAVE!" He continued shouting at her, waiting for her to respond. The glazed eyes stared back at him. Blood trickled down her mouth. All the while he kept crying, tears flowing endlessly out of his eyes.

Out of the corner of his eye he spotted a hand under another board. He ran over and yanked the board off to find his father.

He threw up. His father's face was covered in severe burns, he barely recognized it. The lower half of his body was…gone. Completely torn away. He stared at the lifeless body before him, remembering how kind his father had always been. Remembering how his mother would always tuck him in at night. Those memories were all that was left of them now.

He couldn't take it anymore. He ran away from the remains of his home. He didn't want to believe they were dead. But he wasn't an idiot. He knew the reality.

His parents were dead.

A few hundred yards away from his house, he fell to the ground. He just couldn't stop crying. He kept crying for what felt like hours. In reality, it was only a few minutes for his crying was heard by the men who created the destruction. Before he knew it, Fenris looked up and realized he was surrounded by almost 30 men. The laughing men he heard earlier. He knew these had to be the ones who destroyed his village and killed his parents. He suddenly forgot his sadness. He saw them and was consumed by hatred. Hatred for these people. Hatred for their laughter. Hatred that burned in his veins.

They began walking towards him, their hands glowing. Fenris stood up, the only thought on his mind: revenge. Right as they began lifting their hands Fenris screamed. His scream was so loud he felt his eardrums burst. He could no longer hear. But he could feel. He could feel his scream reverberate through the entire village. The entire island. All of the men around him fell to the ground with their hands over their ears. Fenris continued screaming until his vision began to blur. He was seeing spots, then his vision started to fade. He slowly fell to the ground. The last sight he beheld was the men all around him, laying on the ground, dead.

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Hundreds of miles away, at the Fairy Tail guild, Master Makarov looked up from the pile up paperwork the Magic Counsel had given him from the destruction the guild had recently caused. He felt some kind of disturbance in the air. It lasted only a few seconds and then vanished. After a few moments, he dismissed it and went back to his work. Though in the back of his mind, his thoughts continued drifting back to that feeling…

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Hours later…

Darkness. That's all Fenris could see when he opened his eyes. He knew they were open…so why couldn't he see anything? He sat up (or at least he thought he did from what he felt). He was afraid to move. He thought he would fall as soon as he got to his feet.

He sat there for another hour. Then, slowly, he began to see a light. It got brighter, and brighter, and brighter, until it was so bright he had to shut his eyes. It was as if the entire world was engulfed by this bright light.

Then, after about 10 minutes, the light began to fade. It faded until he could finally open his eyes again. As Fenris focused on the scene around him he gasped. All around him…were bodies. All of the bodies of the men. Not a single one was moving. They didn't even seem to have any injuries to them. They just lay there. He slowly got to his feet but then fell right back down. His legs were so weak he couldn't stand.

He began crawling around trying to figure out what was going on. He slowly crawled over to where the remains of his house were. He found his mother and father again. He tried waking them up. Only half-heartedly. He knew they were gone. He began crying again. He couldn't seem to stop crying.

Fenris huddled next to his mother and father, savoring their touch. Wishing they would get up and comfort him. Their bodies grew cold. So cold he could barely touch them. After another two hours of crying, the tears suddenly ceased. He felt like crying, but the tears were no longer there. He tried to get up again. This time, his legs seemed to have recovered a little and he was able to stand. He looked away from his parents. He couldn't look at them anymore.

He knew he should bury them. But he didn't want to touch them. They were so cold. A feeling of nausea overwhelmed him and he puked.

Dazed, he walked around the dead men. Slowly, he made his way towards the edge of the village. As he walked he saw more and more bodies lying in the street. Eventually, he found Emmett, and then Ben, and then Llewllyn.

He stopped by each of their bodies. He looked at them. And he felt an unbelievable sadness. It welled up inside him until he thought he would explode. But still, no tears.

As he continued through the town, he saw more and more faces he knew. His grief at not being able to help anyone caused his chest to hurt so badly, he had to stop and sit down. He stared around at the remains of his home. He knew things would never be the same. He had to leave. Or he would die there, just like everyone he loved.

Eventually, he made his way to the edge of the village, to the Knetto Forest again where he had told everyone to meet up. Nobody was going to meet him. He knew that.

So, he left.

He began walking through the forest. He didn't know where he would go. He was on an island. The only way to get off would be to swim. To the mainland. 50 miles away. And before that there was the mountain range. There was no way he could climb that, climb back down, and then swim another 50 miles. There was no mountain on the north-west side of the island. But the closest shore on that side was over 200 miles away. He only knew that because of his father. He had traveled to the mainland that way on business at times. And he told his son it was a long way away.

He decided to just keep moving towards the mountain. Maybe he'd be able to climb it somehow. It was either that or die on the island. And he decided at that moment that he wasn't going to die. Not now. He had to find out what happened to his family and friends. He had to know why this happened.

So he would continue. Continue on this path until he reached the mainland. Then he would find a magical guild. He knew they could help. He had no idea which one of course. But any of them would do. He just needed to get there first…

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Three days later, Fenris was still walking through the forest. He was so hungry. He had managed to find some berries that he knew he could eat. But that was it. He couldn't find water. Or meat. He was getting weaker and weaker by the moment…

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A week after leaving his home, he could finally see a light in the distance. He was getting close to the edge of the forest. He was still tired and hungry. Living on berries wasn't enough to sustain him and he knew that. Living on an island surrounded by the forest, Fenris had learned some survival skills growing up.

For this reason, he knew what berries he could eat and which ones would kill him. He also knew how to make a fire, which was lucky since the weather was getting colder each day. Fenris wished he had been able to scrounge up some supplies before he left, but he had been so numb to everything he hadn't thought of this. He had his sling-shot and knife, but only because he always carried them around.

Luckily it hadn't rained since he left, as he wasn't skilled enough to make any kind of shelter. But he knew his luck may run out eventually and he had to keep moving. He had to make it to civilization or he wouldn't survive much longer by himself.

As he got closer to the light, Fenris heard a twig snap a few yards away from him. He stopped, listening for whatever had made the noise. He was scared more of those men had been sent to finish the job. Scanning the area, he spotted what had made the noise. It was a rabbit. _Food,_ thought Fenris.

He slung his sling-shot with one of his rocks and took aim. His reflexes were slow due to the lack of food and water. But he managed to hit the rabbit moments before it got away. Grinning at the first sign of luck he had, Fenris skinned the rabbit with his knife. Despite the fact he was almost out of the forest, having a real meal was too good to pass up, so he made camp for the night.

He made a fire and cooked the rabbit for a few hours. Even though the meat was bland without spices, he savored every bite. It tasted like heaven compared to the berries he had been eating. Now he just needed water. But dusk was approaching, and he was tired. Hopefully he would find some near the mountain when he reached it.

The next morning, Fenris made his way towards the light that indicated the end of the forest. As he stepped out of the forest, he gaped at what he saw in front of him.

It was the mountain. The forest was so dense that he hadn't been able to see the skyline since he had entered it. So he hadn't seen how monstrous the mountain really was. It looked like it went on forever. He couldn't see an end to it. There was just no way he could climb it. He sat down where he was and just stared. He felt like crying but it seemed as though he couldn't produce tears anymore. He figured they would come back eventually, he had just been crying more than he ever had.

Fenris decided to make camp there for the night. He didn't have the energy to think about what he could do to get around the mountain. He would have to figure out what to do tomorrow. He went back to the forest to gather some wood and made a fire. He made a little bed out of some leaves and lay there. Staring up at the sky. Thinking about what he could do.

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The next morning, Fenris sat staring at the mountains. He still couldn't figure out what to do. He walked up to the side of the mountain and tried to find a place to start. He couldn't find any footholds so he decided he'd walk until he found one. What else could he do?

"This is stupid," Fenris kept muttering to himself. It was several hours later and he still hadn't found any way to get up the mountain. It was starting to get dark again. How were these days so short? He was starting to wonder if he'd ever find a way around the mountain until he saw something up ahead.

It seemed like a huge dark hole in the side of the mountain. He stopped. What the hell is that thing? He started running as fast as he could. It had to be a way through. As he got closer he could see it was indeed a hole. He stopped in front of it and just stared into the dark abyss. _Wow, a hole. Fantastic. This is still so freaking stupid_, Fenris thought.

How was the only way through going to be a hole? He didn't even have a light. But he figured this was the only way. There was no way he could find a way over the mountain. Fenris went back towards the forest and gathered some more berries. He stuffed as much as he could in his pockets with the rabbit meat, and entered the cave.

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It took only a few minutes for Fenris to be swallowed up by the darkness. It was only as Fenris bumped into something hard, surely bruising his shin, that he really noticed how dark it truly was. Shivers skitted his skin in waves as irrational fear settled in. The dark. He was trapped in the dark. Fenris hated the dark. He had been so lost inside his thoughts on how to survive now that his life had been destroyed that even his phobia had taken a back seat. What could he do now? How long had he even been walking? Fenris found himself wishing for the impossible. If only he were a mage. He could use his powers to lighten the cave somehow.

He immediately sat down. He didn't know how long he had been walking but he knew it couldn't have been long. He had to make a decision. Keep going, or go back. If he went back, he knew there was probably no way he would get off the island. He decided he needed to keep going. He had to face his fears eventually. Slowly, using the wall as a crutch, he stood.

Gathering himself, Fenris continued to walk forwards, using the wall as a guide. His mind began playing tricks on him. He kept thinking he heard shuffling sounds every other step. He felt like someone, or something, was following him. There was no way he could have known. He couldn't see a single thing.

This went on for hours, although Fenris had no sense of time in the cave. He didn't even know how long he had been walking at that point. But he was getting tired so he decided to rest. Sitting down against the wall, Fenris closed his eyes and tried to go to sleep. His mind continued playing tricks on him as he sat there. Thinking of what could possibly be lurking around him. Eventually, he was able to fall asleep.

His dreams were filled with giant spiders that had the same, maniacal laughter as the hooded figures that killed his parents.

When Fenris woke up, he almost felt worse than before he went to sleep. His sleep had been so restless and his body ached from the hard ground. He slowly got up, his muscles screaming at him. Still restless, still tired, he continued making his way forward.

Hours later, Fenris was still walking. He decided to try making up a game to distract himself from the darkness. Since there was such an echo he'd try to use his voice. He hadn't used it since he finished crying the last time. He tried to say something but he couldn't. His throat felt dry and cracked from lack of water and use. He continued trying to speak and eventually he could speak softly. He figured he should try talking more often so he didn't lose it again.

He gave up on the game idea and started singing softly to himself. He sang some songs he remembered his mother singing to him when he was younger. However, this just reminded him that he would never again hear his mother's voice. So he stopped.

_How long have I even been in here for?_

He slept again. After he woke up he figured he had been in the tunnel at least two days if he felt like sleeping twice. He began to think he'd be in this tunnel forever…

After sleeping one more time, Fenris was still walking down the tunnel, munching on some berries from his pocket, when he saw something in the distance. It was light. He could finally leave the darkness! He was so excited that he ran. He ran as fast as he could. The light started getting brighter and brighter until he was almost there. Then, he was out. And once again he was blinded. He felt like that was happening too often.

As his eyes adjusted to the light, he saw it. The sea. Back at his village, he had never had the opportunity to see the ocean. Now that he saw it, he couldn't believe the amount of blue. There was so much of it. Although his favorite color was silver, he thought it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

He continued staring at the sea for a while until he shook his head. He was losing focus. Now that he was FINALLY out of that tunnel, he had to keep moving. In the distance, he saw what looked like a very skinny line on the horizon. That had to be the mainland.

Now he just had to figure out how to get there. But first he would rest. It was getting dark.

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The next morning, Fenris was walking along the beach trying to figure out a way to get off the island. He had eaten the rest of the rabbit meat and was worried he would run out of food before he figured out how to leave.

He thought of the possibility of swimming, but ruled that out quickly. His body was sore and tired, and there was no telling what manner of creatures lived out there. He searched the island for any means of escape, but couldn't find anything that would hold him above the water.

After a few hours of searching, Fenris was resting near the water when a leaf floated into his field of vision. He watched the leaf until it rested upon the water. And then it hit him. A boat. He would build a boat!

But how? He saw a lot of trees with weird round objects high up in them all around the island. He knew his dad had sailed around on a boat made of wood, so he had his answer. He would use these trees to make a boat. He continued walking down the beach, trying to find a tree he thought would work. Of course, he would also need to figure out how to chop one of them down but he'd get to that once he found a suitable tree.

Just a few minutes later, he spotted a tree that was lying down on the ground. He wouldn't need to cut one down now! He ran up to it and smiled. Now to build a boat!

Fenris tried and tried but he just couldn't rip apart the bark from this tree. It was impossible. After he took a brief rest he tried again but was starting to get frustrated. He kept trying. And trying. And trying. Until his frustration turned to anger. As he pulled at the bark he started yelling in frustration, then suddenly the bark came right off. It was like it was a piece of paper in his hands. "That was really weird," said Fenris. Why was it suddenly so easy to get the bark off? He tried pulling another piece off but it seemed to be as tough as before. _Again, this is stupid,_ thought Fenris.

He gave up. One piece of bark would have to do. The bark he managed to pull off was about five feet long and two feet wide. _What the hell am I going to do with this_, thought Fenris. He sat and thought. After about an hour, he gave up. _Screw it, I'm just going to float on this board and hope for the best_. He knew this was idiotic. But what other choice did he have? It seemed like he was asking that to himself a lot.

He prepared himself for this next part of his adventure. He was freaking out a little. It was relatively calm out so he wasn't too worried about the waves. And since it was only 50 miles from shore, he thought he could get there relatively quickly.

As Fenris slid the board into the water, he jumped on. It was extremely wobbly and he immediately fell off. He splashed into the water and got back up. _This will take some getting used to, I guess_, thought Fenris.

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A few hours later, Fenris was using his hands to paddle along. _THIS IS SO SLOW HOLY CRAP, _thought Fenris. He felt like he wasn't going anywhere. But he was. Slowly but surely.

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ANOTHER few hours later, Fenris was laying down on the board staring at the sky. He had gotten very tired so he decided to take a break. As he was staring up at the sky, a huge fish suddenly jumped out of the water and over his board. It was HUMONGOUS! It had to be at least seven feet long! "WOWWWWWWW!" said Fenris.

He was looking into the water trying to find the fish when a dark spot appeared below him. It was getting bigger and bigger when suddenly a monster fish jumped out of the water. It was so huge it blotted out the sky. Fenris just gaped at it. _I'm gonna die. Right now. In like four seconds I'm gonna die_, thought Fenris.

When the fish landed back in the water, the splash was so large that it washed over Fenris and he fell off his board. Once he surfaced, he saw his board 50 feet away. He slowly swam back to it, scared that the fish would come back. But it didn't.

He got back onto his board and continued on his way a lot faster. Wanting to get away from the monster fish as fast as he could.

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The next day, Fenris could see the land was just a few miles away. He started paddling even faster, knowing he would reach land in just a few short hours.

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And a few short hours later, Fenris did it. He landed on the mainland. He got off the board and sunk to his knees. Kissing the ground until he realized he was basically eating sand. He coughed it all out of his mouth and started looking around. He was on a large beach and could see a forest in the distance. "I'm starting to really dislike forests," said Fenris. To his right, Fenris could see in the distance a huge mountain range.

This mountain made the one back on Sphere Island look like a small hill. It stretched further then his vision could even see. Into the distance. Really big. Like huge. "No thanks," said Fenris and walked straight to the forest, on to his next adventure.

**Author's note:**

**Thank you again for reading! Feel free to drop a review if you liked it, or if you have some constructive criticism. I'm open to both! **


	2. Chapter 1

**Author's note:**

**Hello again! Our story really begins here. Fenris is finally off Sphere Island and wants answers. I will say, these first few chapters may be a bit slow going, but it's important for setting up his journey to Fairy Tail. Soon enough we'll be there though!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. That privilege belongs to Hiro Mashima**

After a few days of walking through the forest, Fenris was getting paranoid. He kept thinking he was seeing something on the edge of his vision but whenever he turned around, nothing was ever there. "It's nothing, it's nothing, it's something, I-I mean nothing," he kept muttering to himself.

One day he even tried scaring whatever was following him, in the hopes it would be frightened off. He was casually walking through the forest, feeling the presence behind him as he usually did, when he quickly turned around and screamed "AHHHHHH!"

Nothing was there. No movement in the bushes. No sudden noises indicating anything was scared off. Sighing, Fenris continued walking. _Good thing I'm alone cause that was embarrassing, _he thought.

There were a lot more small animals in this forest then there were back on Sphere Island, so he didn't have any problem getting food each day. There were also many more sources of water so Fenris was beginning to get his strength back.

As he made his way through the forest, Fenris had a lot of time to think. This wasn't necessarily a good thing. He thought a lot about his home. His parents. His friends. Thinking about everyone created an incredible sense of loneliness that he was having a hard time coping with.

He remembered the last conversation he had with his parents. He had been about to go out to the forest to meet his friends...

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Fenris ran downstairs to head out. He was supposed to meet up with Emmett and the others in just a few minutes and would be late if he didn't hurry.

"Wait just one second young man," said his mother.

One hand on the door knob, Fenris stopped in his tracks. "Mommmmm. I'm gonna be late if I don't hurry. The guys are waiting for me!"

"Your father and I would like to talk to you."

Fenris' father came out from a back room and coughed, black dust coming out of his mouth.

Arianna crossed her arms and gave him a stern look. "Did you get soot in your mouth again?"

Smiling at her, Dominic said, "Maybe just a lit-" he was interrupted by a series of coughs. Arianna ran upstairs to get him a glass of water from the kitchen.

After gulping down the water, Dominic sat down at the front desk and indicated Fenris should do the same.

"Fenris, your mother and I have been talking, and we think it's time for you to start working at the shop more often."

Fenris gaped at them. "But I already work here on my days off! What more can I do? I need a social life outside of this place. I know you two don't care about having friends but I do!"

Arianna tsked at him. "Fenris. Please stop talking to your father like that and listen to us. It's time you take a more serious interest in the shop. You're going to inherit all of this one day and you need to learn how everything works. All you do is greet customers when they come in. You can't say you know much about what we really do."

Scowling, Fenris crossed his arms and looked away from them. He didn't want to work at their dumb shop. He wanted something more to life than just working there every day, wasting his life.

It was always the same with them. They were always trying to get him to work there any time he wasn't at school. It was such a _bore_. Nothing ever happened at that shop. Nothing ever happened _anywhere _on Sphere Island.

Fenris had always dreamed about leaving Sphere Island one day and joining one of the guilds he heard about on the lacrima television his parents would watch at night. There were always stories about how great their mages were and how they rescued a town from some monster or bad guy.

Why couldn't he have been born on the mainland! Instead, he was stuck on this boring island, with boring parents, and a boring life. He had his friends sure, but he was still stuck there.

Dominic stood up and walked over to him. He looked down at his son and put one hand on his shoulder.

"Fenris, I know what you're thinking. You believe we have some boring life on this island. But to us, this is everything we've ever wanted. We have each other. We have _you. _You're everything to us Fenris, and we just want you to succeed. I understand your frustration, believe me I do. But one day you'll understand why we're so happy here. Happy with our lives."

Fenris looked down, slightly ashamed at himself for what he said. "I'm sorry dad…I didn't mean it. I just…need something more. I don't know how to put it."

Arianna knelt down by his side. "We know Fenris. And like your father said, we understand. Just know that we love you. And we'll always love you." She gave him a hug and, after a brief moment, he hugged her back.

"I love you too mom."

"Hey what am I over here?"

Fenris laughed and hugged his father. "Love you too dad. Can I go now?"

Laughing, Arianna pushed him out the door. "Yes, yes. Don't be late for dinner!" She shouted after him as he ran down the street.

Smiling at her husband, she wrapped one arm around his waist and leaned against him. "What are we going to do with him?"

Dominic smiled back at her. "We'll figure it out. We have all the time in the world."

.

.

.

Fenris tripped over a small branch and fell over. He had been distracted remembering their conversation. The sadness that came over him was so overwhelming he collapsed. He wrapped his arms around his knees, thinking about everything he had lost. He didn't think he could keep walking, so he decided to make camp for the night.

He made a fire and cooked some of the meat he had in his pockets. His clothes were getting disgusting but there wasn't much he could do about that.

After finishing his meal, he lay down near the fire and closed his eyes. As he was drifting off to sleep, a loud _snap _caused him to jerk his eyes open and sit up. He quickly looked towards where he heard the noise, fearing whatever had been following him was about to attack.

A few moments later he saw two shining eyes in the bushes. Hoping he could scare whatever it was off, he screamed "WHOEVER YOU ARE I SEE YOU SO COME OUT AND STOP STALKING ME."

Then… slowly… a ferocious… puppy walked out of the bushes. Fenris sweat dropped.

"A puppy?" he said to himself. "So you've been the one following me?" he asked the puppy.

The "dog," at least he thought it was a dog, sat down next to the fire and looked at him with big puppy eyes that almost melted his heart. "Oh my lord you're freaking adorable, aren't you?" he asked the dog. The puppy responded by wagging his tail at Fenris and suddenly ran up to him and jumped on top of him.

The puppy was just a foot tall but _he_, for Fenris identified the… parts… necessary to deduce this, was strong. He was also gleaming white, with silvery eyes just like Fenris' own. He threw Fenris on the ground and started licking his face like crazy. No matter what he could do, Fenris couldn't get the thing off him.

After a few minutes, the puppy finally got off him and sat down next to Fenris, looking up at him again. Fenris tentatively put his hand on the dog's head and felt something strange surge inside of him when his hand touched the dog. He jerked his hand away and stared at it.

_That was pretty weird, _he thought. As he watched the dog, a small buzzing noise in his ear began to bother him. He stuck his finger in it, trying to unplug his ear, but the noise didn't go away. He kept picking at his ear but then realized that it almost seemed as if the buzzing sound was coming from the dog.

He stared at the dog, and the dog stared back. Then, very slowly, he touched the dog again. And again, he felt a surge between where his hand and the dog touched. But he didn't jerk away this time. He left his hand there. The feeling slowly disappeared but there seemed to be something tugging on his consciousness in the back of his head.

It almost felt as if there was another presence there. He looked at the dog and asked, "Are you the reason I have this weird buzzing noise in my head?" The dog kept looking at him. But in the back of his head, where he felt that presence, he felt something tug again and he knew it was the dog, responding to his question. Although he couldn't figure out what the response was.

He decided to keep asking him questions. "So, is there a reason you've been following me?" Again, he felt that pull on his consciousness, only this time he thought he could almost _feel _the dog respond, yes. So, he continued.

"Alright, so what's the reason then?" Although there were never any actual words in his head, he could feel the answers coming from the dog. He could tell that he had been separated from its pack. And that once he had found them, they were all dead. From what, he couldn't tell. But he ran. Just like Fenris had ran.

And then when he felt Fenris' presence in the woods he decided to follow him. Fenris had seemed like a nice person, and the puppy was scared. He just wanted company. He didn't want to be alone anymore. Fenris felt for the dog. Because he knew exactly what he was feeling. He was unbelievably lonely.

So, he decided to take the dog with him.

"Alright then it's settled, you're coming with me." The dog wagged its tail and started licking him again. _It seems like he can understand exactly what I'm saying but I never get any words from him. Of course, if I did get actual words from him I'd probably just freak out so maybe it's better this way, _thought Fenris.

He and the dog laid down together and, with the dog curled up next to him, drifted off to sleep.

The next day Fenris and the dog were walking through the woods when Fenris realized something. "Hey, if we're going to be friends now then you'll need a name, won't you?" he asked the dog. The dog responded with a wag of its tail and that slight pull to his consciousness.

Fenris sat down and started thinking. "Hmmmmmmm, what about Bardou?" he asked. The dog growled. Fenris raised his hands, "Hey, hey relax it was just a suggestion. I'll think of something."

For the next hour Fenris tried every name he could think of but the dog rejected every single one. He was beginning to give up when he remembered a story his dad told him one night. It was about an old war legend where the hero had a pet wolf that went with him into every battle. The legend said that the wolf was so powerful it could almost defeat entire armies by itself. Of course, this was just a legend. But the important thing about the story was the wolf's name.

"How about Faelen?" he asked the dog. He wagged his tail more vigorously than ever and jumped on Fenris. Fenris laughed and said, "Alright, Faelen it is."

With that Fenris and Faelen continued on through the forest, ready for anything now because they were no longer alone.

**Author's note:**

**Thanks again for reading! A new chapter will be out sometime next week. I'm going to try to get them out at least once a week so we can get through this first adventure and he can make his way to Fairy Tail.**

**Until then!**


	3. Chapter 2

**Author's note:**

**Another chapter! This one continues Fenris' journey on his way to Fairy Tail. Things really start to pick up from here. Hope you like it!**

**A quick note for those of you who have read this story before this new chapter. I did make a few edits to the previous chapter to fix up some timeline issues my Beta Reader and I discussed. It's all good now!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. That privilege belongs to Hiro Mashima**

Around two months after the destruction of his village, Fenris and Faelen were still traveling through the forest. Their progress had been significantly slowed due to the weather. A few weeks after finding Faelen, snow began to fall.

At first, Fenris enjoyed watching Faelen bound happily through it. But over time, he grew colder and colder. His clothes were torn and ragged. It wasn't enough to keep him warm as the days wore on.

Faelen's warmth certainly helped, but Fenris felt himself grow weaker every day. The length of time he could travel each day grew shorter, until he could only walk a few hours a day before needing to rest. Being in a forest, it was hard to find shelter from the snow unless there was a low hanging branch he could hide under.

Fenris was worried he may die of frostbite if he couldn't find civilization soon. But then one day, as they were striding through the forest, Faelen suddenly stiffened. Fenris noticed this and asked, "What's up buddy?"

Faelen ran off into the distance and Fenris chased after him screaming, "Wait for me!"

As he ran after Faelen, Fenris noticed that the trees seemed to be less dense in this area. He got excited. _Are we getting close to the edge of the forest? _he thought.

He saw Faelen in the distance and ran up next to him. In front of them, was a valley. With no trees. They were out of the forest!

"Faelen we did it!" shouted Fenris. He and Faelen started dancing around each other and Fenris couldn't stop laughing. Suddenly, his legs gave way and he collapsed to the ground. He realized how out of breath he was.

Faelen worriedly came up and licked his face. Fenris scratched his face. "Don't worry buddy. I just need to relax. My body isn't very strong right now."

Once he eventually calmed down, he looked around. The valley was pretty big. But on the far side, he realized he saw buildings.

"A village! Faelen look over there it's a village!" he said to Faelen. He figured it would take them about a week to traverse the valley so he decided to make camp there for the night to get some rest because he wanted to travel as fast as he could the next day.

The next morning, they both set off at for the village. He still couldn't walk very far and, eventually, he ran out of breath and took a break in the grass. He lay there looking up at the sky with Faelen resting next to him.

He glanced over and stroked the soft fur. "I'm really glad you and I met Faelen. I'm not sure I could have survived without you," he said. The wolf looked at him, and Fenris knew he understood, and felt the exact same way.

It took them one week to travel across the valley, just as he had thought.

As they got closer to the village, he began seeing empty fields all around him with some farmers tending to the winter ground. Nobody really seemed to notice him until they got closer. Then someone glanced up and, seeing Faelen, screamed, "WOLFFFF!" People close to them started running to the village.

Fenris tried to tell everyone there was nothing to be worried about but nobody would listen. Almost at once, the fields were empty and they were alone. He and Faelen looked at each other.

"This may be a bit difficult," said Fenris

As they entered the village it looked abandoned. All the doors to shops and houses were closed. The windows were also closed. But he knew people were there. Faelen could smell them and he let Fenris know this. They were afraid of them. Fenris called out, trying to make everyone understand they meant no harm, but nobody seemed to listen.

As Fenris continued walking through the village, he noticed it was about the same size as his home back on Sphere Island. It saddened him a little but he shook his head and dismissed those thoughts. Faelen went up to him and nuzzled his hand. Fenris looked down at him and smiled.

"It's okay boy we'll figure this out."

For a few weeks, Fenris tried to convince the villagers they meant no harm. He became known as the wolf boy and people ignored him and told him to go away. He and Faelen lived in the alleys during this time and were able to feed on scraps that people threw out. It was hard and Fenris was still very weak from his journey through the forest.

He hadn't expected this reaction but he would never get rid of Faelen and if that meant living like this, he would gladly do it.

One day, Fenris was looking around a trash bin for some food when an old man approached him. By then, people had gotten used to him and Faelen but they still kept clear of the two of them.

The old man walked up to Fenris and said, "I've noticed you these past few weeks, walking around feeding off of everyone else's trash young man."

Panicking, Fenris said, "I'm sorry! It's just that this is the only food we can get and we didn't mean to cause a panic in the village. We were lost. And we only wanted to be able to relax for a little while until we continued on. I realize we've caused a huge panic and I'm sorry. We'll be moving on in the next few days sir…" responded Fenris.

The old man raised his hands and laughed. "No, no, no. I didn't mean anything by it. I just meant that I'd like to help you. These young people get scared too easily. I can see you and your wolf mean no harm. Come with me."

He started walking down the road and Fenris followed, Faelen close behind. They walked in silence until they reached a large café. The old man stopped in front of it and said, "Here it is! My life's work. How does it look?"

Fenris looked at the café. He had walked by it plenty of times before and had always admired the large building. "It's great!" he said.

The old man laughed and raised his hand. "My name is Sal Toto. I'd like for you to work with me. How does that sound? I'll give you lodging upstairs for you and your wolf and three meals a day. In return, I'd like you to work at my café."

Fenris could only stare at the man's hand. He had never expected this. He was preparing to leave the village, since none of the people seemed to want him there. He looked up at the old man and almost cried, although he still couldn't. Nothing seemed to make him as sad as that day. Maybe that was why he could no longer cry.

He took the man's hand and shook it vigorously. "Yes sir! Thank you sir! My name is Fenris Ward and this is Faelen."

Faelen barked happily and wagged his tail.

Sal laughed and said "Welcome aboard then!"

Over the next few days, Fenris got accustomed to his new home. Sal had provided him with a brand new wardrobe and all the things he needed to stay comfortable. Admittedly, once he arrived at Beanstalk Village (he discovered it was called this when looking through an old newspaper one day) he had stolen some new clothes since his old ones were getting ragged after months of travel.

Fenris began working at the café, taking orders and cleaning tables. It was simple work, but it was nice to finally be able to do something with his life. And Sal had even provided Faelen with his own bed in Fenris' room. Faelen stayed in there most days and Fenris let him out at night so he could hunt and do what he pleased without other people seeing him.

Sal also introduced him to the local village dojo. Fenris realized that he was all skin and bones since leaving Sphere Island. He had lived off of small animals and berries for so long, it was no surprise. Sal thought it would be a good idea to get some meat back on his bones.

The master of the dojo realized at once that Fenris had a knack for fighting. He seemed to have a natural ability when it came to martial arts. In fact, he was so good that the master brought in others to teach him the different types of martial arts. Fenris loved the exercise and it allowed him an outlet to vent his building frustration from the past few months. He had finally found a sense of happiness after everything that had happened.

As the months wore on and the cold days grew warmer, people began getting used to seeing Fenris at the café and started treating him with more kindness.

He and Faelen's relationship continued to grow stronger every day until they were completely inseparable. Faelen had filled the deep void he felt after losing his family and friends, and he would be forever grateful for this.

Faelen also continued to grow during this time. He grew at a much faster rate than any normal dog. Fenris deduced he must have some wolf blood in him to grow at this rate. By now, he was already up to his stomach in height.

Not only this, but the connection they had was getting stronger. Although there were never any words spoken, Fenris could _feel _exactly what Faelen was trying to say anytime they tried to communicate. Not only this, but as time passed, they could communicate this way from further distances.

Fenris thought this was very strange but he wasn't going to complain. Faelen was his best friend now and he loved the big wolf.

One day, Sal told Fenris to bring Faelen down.

"Ummmm, are you sure? People don't really like Faelen and I don't want anything to happen to him."

"It's time these people respected your wolf the way he deserves. I've gotten to know him over these past few months and he is one of the most well behaved animals I've ever seen," responded Sal.

So Fenris called up to Faelen, who unlatched the door, and came down. Once he descended the stairs, the café got deathly quiet. Everyone was staring at Faelen. Then, a little girl got up from her table and slowly walked up to Faelen. Her mother got up and protested but Sal stopped her. As the little girl got closer, Faelen sat down on his hind legs and stared at her.

Once she got close enough she raised her hand. She was much smaller than Faelen. By now, his head came up to Fenris' shoulder. Fenris himself had grown a few inches since he left Sphere Island. He was now 5 feet tall, and only 8 years old. Oddly tall for his age he realized, but he didn't really care.

When the little girl touched Faelen's head, the wolf suddenly got up and jumped on top of her. The mother screamed but then stopped abruptly. The little girl was laughing! Faelen was licking her face and she was loving every minute of it.

Suddenly, the entire café burst into laughter and moments later all the children ran towards Faelen. They started petting him and grabbing his fur. Faelen didn't seem to care at all. He only continued licking the little girl's face. After that, nobody seemed to mind Faelen coming up to their tables.

Though his time in Beanstalk was comforting, Fenris never went a day without thinking of his parents. He missed them dearly. He saw the other children of the village playing and laughing with each other, and it reminded him of his time with his own friends…

.

.

.

Fenris was running through the streets, trying to find a place to hide. He knew Emmett was on his trail and would catch up to him soon. Emmett had always been the fastest of their friends and when it came to tag, he was the best.

Fenris spotted an alleyway between two houses and ducked into it. He hid behind a trash bin and saw Emmett run past moments later. Breathing a sigh of relief, Fenris got up and slowly made his way out of the alley.

As he entered the street, a hand tapped his shoulder. He looked sideways and saw Emmett smirking at him. "You're it."

Laughing, Emmett ran away, Fenris running after him. "I'll get you for that Emmett!"

Hours later, tired and muddy, Fenris, Emmett, Ben, and Llewllyn entered Emmett's home. The first thing that hit Fenris was the smell of cookies wafting from the kitchen.

Mouth drooling, Fenris kicked off his shoes and made his way to the kitchen. "Hey Mrs. Lors! Watcha doin?"

Emmett's mother had always been like a second mom to Fenris. When he wasn't at home or school, he could usually be found at Emmett's house.

"Fenris! It's so good to see you. Although…" Emmett's mother looked him up and down and frowned. "I think you and the boys should go upstairs and get yourselves cleaned off before you sit down."

Looking down, Fenris saw mud dripping onto her clean floor. "Ah! Sorry!"

He ran upstairs and jumped into Emmett's shower before the others could. Stealing some of Emmett's clothes, Fenris made his way back down to the kitchen. The other boys joined him after taking showers.

"How are things going at your parents shop Fenris?" asked Mrs. Lors.

Sighing, Fenris laid his arms on the table and placed his head down. "Fine, I guess. They keep bugging me to work there more but it's _so _boring. I can't stand it. I don't want to keep doing it but they get mad whenever I say no."

Smiling at him, Mrs. Lors placed a tray of cookies on the table. Emmett and the others grabbed a handful and ran into the other room to watch television.

"I know it may seem like they are nagging you Fenris. But your parents love you so much. They want the best for you. Every time I visit your shop, your mom can never stop talking about you. And don't even get me started about your dad."

Cheeks reddening, Fenris took a bite of a cookie. It was delicious. Emmett's mom had always been a great baker.

Taking a cookie for herself, she said, "Just go easy on them Fenris. That's all I'm saying."

Patting him on the back, she walked over to the sink and started to wash the dishes.

.

.

.

Fenris smiled sadly as he cleaned dishes in the back room of the café. He missed Mrs. Lors. He missed Emmett. He missed everyone.

.

.

.

Time passed quickly for Fenris at Beanstalk Village. In no time at all, his birthday passed by without him even realizing it. Although he was good friends with Sal, he hadn't disclosed to him anything about his past. He didn't feel it was right. He didn't share anything personal about himself with anyone other than Faelen, not even his birthday.

So, it came and went. He didn't celebrate. He didn't buy himself anything special. He just moved on.

One day, Fenris was cleaning a table with Faelen basking in the sunlight by the window when Sal walked up to him. He sat down at the table and indicated the seat across from him. Fenris looked at him hesitantly, wondering if he had done something wrong.

He sat down and looked around, noticing that there were no customers anymore. When had that happened?

He looked at Sal, who was staring at him with hard eyes.

"What do you want to do with your life boy?" he asked.

Fenris was taken aback by this question. He then realized he didn't have an answer. He knew the reason he had left Sphere Island. To get answers. But ever since he started working at the café he realized he had forgotten about this quest. He was happy here. He and Faelen had a somewhat normal life and he wanted things to stay that way. He didn't want to remember that day anymore.

"I honestly don't know. I'm really happy working at your café though," Fenris responded quietly.

"Hmmmmm. Well I think you're lying. I think there's a reason you showed up that day with no supplies, and looked like you were on death's door. And I think you've forgotten about it. Have you ever heard about magic guilds?"

"Well, yeah, of course. I hear customers talking about them all the time."

"Good, good. I know you have something you're hiding. I have a knack for these things. You don't get to my age without being able to read people. And I think one of those magic guilds the customers were talking about can help you. So. Because of this, I want you to leave. I want you to continue what you started. Because I know you started something and have yet to finish it."

Fenris stared at him. He didn't understand. Why was he being kicked out? What had he done? "But… I don't understand. Did I do something wrong? Why do you want me to leave?" he asked.

"Of course I don't want you to leave boy, the café has never been this busy! But I know that there's more to your life then working at a café. You're meant to do great things. I just know it. So, I'm going to help you with the first step. In three months, you're going to leave this village. I'm going to help you prepare. You won't have to go around slumming it like you did before you came here."

Fenris looked at Faelen. He was staring at Fenris with gleaming eyes. Fenris knew what he was thinking. He had forgotten who he was. He forgot his purpose. He seemed to be content with just working in some café for the rest of his life. Doing exactly what he had always complained about back home. How would he avenge his parents this way?

He knew Sal was right. He was just scared. He was comfortable now. Things were somewhat normal. And once he left, he would be thrown into a world of uncertainty again. But he had Faelen now. Things were different from before. Although he didn't have any powers of his own, he knew Faelen would protect him, and he would protect Faelen.

He was much more prepared now then he had been on Sphere Island. His martial arts training had kicked in. Months of training had Fenris in the best shape of his life now. He had already mastered karate, jiu-jitsu, bokator, and even krav maga. There were many other types of martial arts he could learn, but he felt confident he could defend himself easily now.

He looked Sal straight in the eyes and said, "You're right. It's time to leave."

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.

.

Three months later, as summer faded into autumn, Fenris was standing on the edge of the village. Sal stood next to him with Faelen on the other side.

"Alright boy so you remember what I said correct? You're going to stick to this main road here and travel south. Eventually, you'll end up in Clover Town. And from there, just continue south until you reach a place called Magnolia Town. There is a magical guild there. It's called Fairy Tail. I think their master will be able to help you from then on."

"Right. Sal… thank you for everything. You have no idea what it means to Faelen and I. Seriously. We might have died without you."

"Ahhh don't worry about it or you'll make this old man cry. Now get out of here young man. The next time I hear from you it better be about what amazing adventures you've had."

Fenris smiled. Then he hugged Sal. Slowly, Sal hugged him back. As he backed away, Faelen came up and jumped on top of Sal, knocking him down. He then proceeded to lick his face for a good minute. Laughing, Sal got up and wiped his face. "Get out of here you two!" he shouted.

Fenris and Faelen started running down the road, looking back and waving. Then, Fenris looked ahead, and he whispered "…Fairy Tail…"

.

.

.

The lacrima in Sal's upstairs room buzzed. When Sal answered it, a voice said "Yajima are you there confound it?! I've been trying to reach you for hours!"

"Sorry Makarov, I was busy … actually. There's something I've been meaning to tell you…"

.

.

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A year after the destruction of Sphere Island, Fenris and Faelen set off on their adventure to find Fairy Tail.

It took Fenris and Faelen around two months to travel to Clover Town. Compared to Beanstalk, this place was humongous!

There were houses everywhere and shops beyond count. And unlike Beanstalk, nobody seemed to mind Faelen. In fact, people completely ignored the both of them. Fenris wanted to get directions to the next town but nobody seemed willing to help.

As he was walking through the town, he decided to find lodging so Faelen could rest. It was beginning to get cold again, but Fenris wasn't worried this time. Sal had given them a decent amount of money on top of what they had earned while working at the shop. They wouldn't have to live outside like they did back then.

Once he settled Faelen in, Fenris went back out to find help. But he didn't.

Nobody seemed willing to help. He couldn't understand why. They spent the next two weeks in Clover Town until Fenris finally found a map of Fiore. And by found… he stole it.

Fenris was walking by a shop and noticed it hanging in the window. He went inside and asked the clerk how much the map was. When he told him, Fenris just laughed and walked out. But then he realized it might be the only way they could find Magnolia. So, while the clerk wasn't looking, he stole the map. After that he and Faelen fled Clover Town as fast as they could and made their way to Oshibana. From there, they traveled to Kunugi, and then on to Onibus.

By the time they had reached Onibus, they had been gone from Beanstalk for 11 months. His birthday passed by yet again during his travels. Being eight years old, Fenris got a lot of odd stares and questions while on the road. He knew most kids his age would never be traveling by themselves, but he was different. What he went through forced him to grow up. He was used to being alone. Besides Faelen of course.

In that time, they found their adventures to be somewhat of a bore compared to their travels to Beanstalk. On the main road, they were relatively safe. There were many people traveling back and forth between villages and plenty of places to stop for the night.

Fenris continued training his martial arts as he did not want to forget what he had been taught. Faelen had grown to a monstrous size. He was just as tall as Fenris was now, and that was without standing on his hind legs.

The day they left Onibus, they were running low on money. But Fenris knew the next town was Magnolia. And in Magnolia, lay Fairy Tail. It was the beginning of autumn when Fenris found himself in a forest on the outskirts of Magnolia.

He and Faelen were walking along when Faelen heard a noise in the bushes. By now, Fenris could tell when Faelen heard or smelled something so he knew about the noise only seconds later.

He shouted, "Who's there?"

Out of the bushes walked… a tiny old man. Fenris sweat dropped. _What's up with these old men walking up to me, _he thought.

The old man strode up to them and smiled. "Why hello there young man, my name is Makarov. A pleasure to meet you." He bowed low and then asked, "And who might the two of you be?"

Fenris glanced at Faelen and then relented. The old guy seemed okay. "My name is Fenris and this is Faelen. We're traveling to Magnolia…but we're a bit lost. Do you happen to know which way it is?"

Makarov laughed and said "Of course! Follow me, follow me." And he was off. For an old man, he was pretty sprightly.

As they walked, Makarov asked, "And what might I ask are the two of you looking for in Magnolia?"

Fenris thought he might be able to help, so he said, "We're trying to find the magic guild called Fairy Tail. I need to find the Master. I need his help."

Makarov started laughing. "Well sonny congratulations because you've just found him. Master Makarov at your service!" He bowed once again.

Fenris gaped at him. _How was that so easy_, he thought to himself. "How do we know you're really the Master?"

And with that, Makarov started lifting up his shirt.

"Whoa, wait a second hang on I'm not int…" then he saw it. The Fairy Tail guild mark on his chest. Sal had showed him what it looked like before he left so he would know who to look for.

"You really are…"

As Makarov put his shirt back on he grinned. "So you want to join the guild eh?"

"Yes sir. Yes Master. Please sir," sputtered Fenris.

"Do you have any powers?"

"Ummm… that's sort of the reason I need to find you. I need answers. And I think only you have them," said Fenris.

Master Makarov thought for a moment. What he was thinking Fenris had no idea.

"Alright. I will let you join Fairy Tail on a temporary basis. However, we are a magic guild. If it turns out you don't have any powers, then unfortunately I cannot let you go on missions as they would be too dangerous. We do have things that non-magic users can do. However, I think we might find something special in you young man." And with that he set off again.

Fenris and Faelen ran after him. After a while they came upon the city of Magnolia. Fenris was amazed. It was bigger than all the previous places he'd been by far. As they traveled along the street, people everywhere greeted the Master. After what seemed like hours, Fenris spotted a huge building up ahead.

This was possibly the biggest building he had ever seen! And on the front section of the building, was the Fairy Tail mark. He was here. He finally made it. He and Faelen had made it.

As the Master entered the building he looked back. "Are you coming?"

Then he went inside. Fenris looked at Faelen, who looked back. "Are you ready?" he asked. Faelen barked and ran into the building. Fenris laughed and shouted, "Hey wait for me!"

.

.

.

In the year X776, two years after the destruction of Sphere Island and everyone he loved, Fenris Ward entered the doors of Fairy Tail. And with that, his life would change forever…

**Author's note:**

**We made it! Finally at Fairy Tail. The next chapter begins his childhood with the guild. This is going to cover a few chapters and we'll delve into some events that shape who Fenris will end up becoming as an adult.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 3

**Author's note:**

**Here we are again! We've finally reached Fairy Tail. There's going to be some big revelations in this chapter. I'm super curious how this will go over with people as it's been something I've wanted to incorporate for a while and hopefully I'll be able to do it justice. As always, hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. That privilege belongs to Hiro Mashima**

As Fenris stepped into the main hall of Fairy Tail, he was overwhelmed by the amount of noise. There were so many people! As he stopped and surveyed his surroundings, he noticed the Master walking up a set of stairs near the back of the hall.

Master Makarov jumped up on a railing on the second floor and looked around the room. Then, he opened his mouth and screamed "HEY YOU BRATS LISTEN UP!" The room fell silent almost at once.

The Master cleared his throat and then said, "I would like to introduce you all to the newest member of Fairy Tail. Fenris Ward! Please make him feel at home as he has travelled far. This guild is about family. And I know you will all welcome him into our home, just as each of you has been welcomed here before." And with that he jumped off the railing… and fell down the stairs, landing on the bar.

Everyone started laughing and cheering and then all eyes were on Fenris. Faelen sat next to him, his tail wagging. Fenris put one hand on Faelen and, with his other, shyly waved to the entire hall.

Once again, loud cheering broke out throughout the room and suddenly he was surrounded by people. All sorts of people. Young and old. Tall and short. He saw an older man with a pipe, arguing with a man with dark purple hair. He also saw a few people that looked to be his age walk up to him.

One of them was a girl who was chugging something out of a mug while the other was a boy with dark hair. The boy didn't have a shirt and it looked like he was trying to take off his pants.

As Fenris was bombarded with welcomes, the two kids walked up to him and introduced themselves. They looked to be around eight years old just as he was.

"Hi! My name is Cana Alberona and this is Gray Fullbuster," said the girl.

The boy raised one hand in response. "Yo."

"Ummm… hi. My name is Fenris and this is Faelen." Faelen got up from where he was sitting and started running around the room. Barking and jumping on everyone he could. The room was full of laughter and excitement again.

_Wow. So this is Fairy Tail, _thought Fenris. Cana and Gray invited him over to where they were sitting. As he sat down, Faelen ran up to him and jumped up on top of the table. Knocking over bowls and plates, he laid down and closed his eyes.

"That's a really cool dog you have there. Where'd you get him?" asked Cana.

"I found him in the woods a long time ago. He's actually a wolf. Dogs don't really get this big…at least I don't think they do," responded Fenris.

"Well either way he's pretty freakin' cool!" exclaimed Gray.

For the next few hours Fenris talked with Cana and Gray, who introduced him to other members of the guild.

After a while, Fenris noticed a girl around his age sitting by herself in the corner of the guild hall.

"Hey, who's that over there?" he asked Cana. Pointing to the girl with the red hair.

Gray answered. "That's Erza. She got here a few weeks ago. She's the moodiest person you'll ever meet. I'd stay away from her."

"Gray, that's really mean, she isn't that bad. Erza is just shy," said Cana.

Fenris continued looking at her until she turned around and caught his gaze. Her impassive expression didn't change and, after a few minutes, she got up and left.

"Told you. Sooooooooo moody," said Gray.

Cana threw her mug at him and shouted, "Shut up, Gray!"

Fenris started laughing and then noticed the Master walking up to the table.

"Hello, Fenris. I hope everyone has been treating you well," he said.

"Yeah! Everyone has been really great actually, especially Cana and Gray," responded Fenris.

"Good, good. I just wanted you to know that I've decided to give you one week to recuperate. You mentioned you had traveled all throughout Fiore and I am sure you would like some rest. After this, it will be time to test your magical ability, if you have any. Until then, you'll be staying in a spare room at Fairy Hills. Technically it is supposed to be an all-girls dorm, but we will make an exception for a little while until we can find you appropriate lodging," said Master Makarov.

"O-okay. Thank you," responded Fenris.

The Master smiled and walked over to the bar.

Eventually, Fenris and Faelen got to know almost all the members of the guild. Besides Gray and Cana, he thought the Strauss siblings seemed very kind. Although Mira was pretty intimidating.

Faelen especially seemed to catch everyone's attention.

"So, where exactly did you find the big guy? You never answered Gray on that first day," said Cana. A few days after he arrived, Fenris was sitting in the guildhall with Cana and Gray.

"You know, I've been wondering the same thing. You're pretty young to have such a big wolf following you around." Fenris turned around and saw Macao striding over to them, Wakaba in tow. The two seemed like really good friends.

Glancing down at Faelen, who was sitting next to him with his head in his lap, Fenris smiled.

"It was more like we found each other. He helped me out of a pretty dark time in my life. It was about a year ago, I was kind of trying to find my way and we stumbled across each other. We clicked, and have been together ever since."

Faelen lifted his head and licked Fenris' face.

Gray grinned and reached over to stroke his fur. "He's super soft. How come you were 'finding your way?' Where'd you used to live?"

Fenris frowned and looked down at his lap. "I'd…rather not talk about it."

Cana punched Gray in the arm. "Gray, knock it off dummy. He obviously doesn't wanna talk about that."

"Sorry! Jeez, I was just asking a question," Gray said, grimacing as he rubbed his arm.

"It's fine really. I just…"

He trailed off, not knowing what he wanted to say.

Cana hit Gray again. "See! You're so dumb! Now you got him all upset!"

Gray's eye twitched. "Listen you. I didn't mean it! I was just curious!"

Gray lunged at Cana, who ducked and hit him over the back of the head with the mug she was holding. And with that, a fight broke out.

This was a common occurrence at Fairy Tail. Everyone absolutely loved to fight. There were fights every day between almost every member of the guild. Fenris and Faelen had never participated in them until the day before he was meant to start training with the Master.

He was sitting at a table, watching one of the daily fights, when Gray was thrown across the room and smashed into the table where Fenris sat.

Out of nowhere, someone threw a mug in their direction and hit Gray on top of the head. He shot up and glared at Fenris. "Hey! What the hell was that for?" he said.

"What? That wasn't me that wa-" but he was cut off by Gray. Gray tackled him to the floor and started wailing on him. Fenris tried covering his head but Gray kept hitting him. Fenris tried to shout at him but it was too loud for him to hear.

Faelen began barking, making the room even louder. Fenris started to get so frustrated, he couldn't take it anymore. He just wanted Gray to stop. "Gray! I said get-OFF!" he shouted.

Suddenly, a huge surge of energy erupted from Fenris' body and threw Gray across the room, where he smashed into the wall and was knocked out cold.

The room fell silent immediately. Fenris slowly got up and looked around. Everyone was staring at him. He saw the Master slowly walk up to him.

As he stopped in front of Fenris, he looked up at him, his face inscrutable. After a few minutes, Master Makarov said, "It's time. Follow me." And walked out the door.

Fenris stared after him. Then he felt Faelen push him from behind. He slowly walked out of the hall, everyone still staring after him.

Once he caught up with the Master, he felt awkward. He thought he had done something wrong.

They continued walking for a few minutes and, when he couldn't take it anymore, he said, "…Master, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to hurt Gray…"

The Master continued walking.

They reached the edge of the forest and stopped there. The Master sat down and indicated the spot in front of him. Fenris sat down and stared at the grass, waiting for him to speak. Faelen lay beside him.

Finally, after 10 minutes the Master looked up at him. "Do you know what you just did?"

Fenris shook his head. He honestly didn't know. But had a feeling it had something to do with what he did that day back on Sphere Island.

He looked up and then he saw the Master smiling at him. "That was magic my boy! That's what you just did! So congratulations! You are no longer just a temporary member, but an OFFICIAL member of Fairy Tail! You can get your official guild stamp if you'd like. It will mark you as one of our own."

Fenris didn't know what to say. Magic? How was that magic? He didn't even try to do anything.

"Master… I'd like to hold off on the stamp. I mean, are you sure that was magic? I didn't try to use magic. I didn't even think I had any powers to be honest," said Fenris.

"My boy, that was certainly magic. In fact, it was a very special type of magic. I had my suspicions about you from the start. I knew there was something about you that was a bit different. And I finally figured it out based on that show just now. I've been around a long time. And in that time, I've tried to study as many types of magic as I can. Especially the Lost Magic. Do you know what I speak of?" he asked Fenris.

Fenris shook his head, "No, not really."

"Let me explain. There are many types of magic. From basic elemental magic to more complicated types such as transformation magic. There is also something called Lost Magic. This is a form of magic that is, as the title goes, 'Lost'. In other words, it is no longer used but by a select few wizards. I've studied all types of Lost Magic and I think you might have a very special kind. Long ago, there was a village on an island off the coast of Fiore. In this village, five people lived on their own. These five people were wizards. And they had a very special kind of magic. It was called Force Magic. In all of recorded history, these five people are the only known users of Force Magic. Because of this, not much is actually known about the magic itself. The only known fact is that it was powerful. Extremely powerful. So powerful that those wizards were feared more than any other of that age. Then, one day, they disappeared. Nobody seems to understand why. And from all my research, there is no given reason. Because of this, Force Magic had been believed to have died off. Until today that is. My boy, I believe you have the ability to use Force Magic."

Throughout this speech, Fenris couldn't stop thinking, _How could I be able to use this supposedly super-powerful magic? It doesn't make any sense. _

After the Master was finished speaking, Fenris asked, "How can we be sure I can use this magic? I don't feel like I can actually call forth anything. What happened inside just kind of… happened."

The Master said, "That is what we are going to find out right now. It is time to test your abilities."

"How are we going to do that exactly?"

"The only thing I've ever been able to find out about Force Magic, other than the fact it is supposed to be very powerful, is that it is essentially a manipulation of the energy surrounding the caster. From what I've researched, this means you should be able to do… many things. What those things are exactly, I do not know."

Fenris was still extremely skeptical. He had no idea how he'd be able to bring out this magic, if he really had it that is.

The Master stood up. "Alright. So the first thing you're going to do is try to lift a pebble using your magic. It is just a theory of mine, but I believe your magic should be capable of doing this." He scanned the ground and found a small, round pebble. He tossed it to Fenris who almost didn't catch it.

_Well I can hardly even catch a pebble, this isn't going to be good, _he thought.

As he looked at the pebble, the Master came back and sat down in front of him. "Okay now I want you to focus. Focus on the pebble. Focus on the thought of lifting the pebble. Let that be your only thought. Empty your mind of all other things. For now, that's all I can say. As I said, I don't know much about this type of magic. You'll have to find that energy on your own."

Fenris closed his eyes and tried to empty his mind. It didn't go well. He kept thinking how dumb this was and how it probably wouldn't work. He continued like this for another hour. And then another two hours. And then another three hours. The whole time, the Master calmly sat there, eyes closed.

As he sat, trying to empty his mind, Fenris finally felt something in the back of his head. It felt as though there was a wall, blocking him from accessing part of his brain. As he focused on this wall, he had a strange feeling that if was somehow able to access it, he might just be able to use those powers again.

Focusing on breaking down that wall, it was only when Faelen, after about four hours of "calming his mind," walked up from behind him and sat down next to him. He glanced over and saw Faelen staring at him. Suddenly, his mind calmed. It was like a gust of wind wiped all thoughts from his head.

And the wall broke. The pebble wobbled in his hand. It didn't lift. But it wobbled back and forth until he got too excited and it abruptly stopped.

He looked over at the Master who was smiling at him. "That wolf of yours is special too I think. Congratulations, you've just used your magic all on your own. Admittedly, you didn't do much."

Fenris sweat dropped.

"But, it was definitely a start. From now on, every day, you're going to come out to this exact spot. And continue doing this until you can lift that pebble five inches in the air. Once you can do that, come back to me. Then we can continue with your training."

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.

.

Fenris decided he wouldn't take the official guild stamp until he could at least lift that stupid pebble. For the next month, every morning, he would continue his training in martial arts. After he showed Master Makarov his prowess in fighting, the Master had professionals from all over Fiore come to train him. He developed his skills at a faster pace than anyone who joined them and even those who taught him were impressed.

Once his martial arts training was completed, he and Faelen would go out to the edge of the forest and practice. At first, all Fenris could do was make the pebble wobble more aggressively. But then one day…

.

.

.

"HIYA!" shouted Fenris.

Spinning around Koza, his current instructor, he whipped out his hand and struck him in the back. He was a lot shorter than Koza and couldn't reach his head.

Stumbling forward, Koza whirled around, preparing to block another blow.

"Good Fenris! You're agility is improving."

Fenris jumped towards him, hoping he could get another blow in if he didn't give Koza a chance to catch his breath.

As he threw a punch, Koza grabbed his fist, stopping him in midair. Dangling in the air, Fenris realized he had no chance of blocking what happened next.

Koza grabbed Fenris' other arm and brought his body down, kneeing him in the gut.

Fenris tumbled down to the ground, holding his stomach as he wheezed, trying to catch his breath.

"But it's not perfect. Never put yourself in a situation where you cannot change your footing mid-maneuver. It gives your opponent all the power. Until you develop magic that allows you to move in mid-air, I wouldn't recommend doing that again unless your opponent is immobilized."

Koza offered a hand to Fenris, who took it and slowly got to his feet. As he caught his breath, he said, "I thought I could catch you off-guard after my first hit."

Laughing, Koza said, "It was a good idea. But you aren't quick enough to pull that off quite yet. You're definitely improving though. You've been learning quicker than most other pupils I've taught. If you keep this up, you'll be one of the best martial artists out there Fenris. Now go take a shower. You smell horrible."

Laughing, Fenris pushed him away and stumbled towards the door. His legs felt like jelly.

"I'll see you tomorrow sensei," he said, waving a hand.

Faelen lumbered up to him from where he had been laying. He was always watching Fenris when he sparred, never taking an eye off him.

Using him as a crutch, Fenris limped his way towards his room. The dojo was in the main building at Fairy Tail, so he had to go outside to get to Fairy Hills. His room was on the first floor, where he wasn't near any of the other residents. Fenris didn't mind this, considering Fairy Hills was an all-girls building. He didn't want anyone to think he was trying to peek on the girls.

As he left the guild hall, Fenris took in the autumn air. Back on Sphere Island, the weather never got too warm, even in the summer. Here, it was already much warmer than he was used to. But it felt amazing after living for so long in the cold.

"Hey Fenris! Wait up!" said a familiar voice. Gray ran up to him and slowed down to match his pace.

"Just finish training?" he asked.

"Yeah. It's not getting any easier. Every day I come back with more and more bruises."

Smirking, Grey gently punched him in the arm. Right on a bruise.

"Ow! I'm gonna get you for that Gray!"

Grey jumped out of his reach as he lunged at him. His legs were still weak from training, and he tumbled to the ground. Laughing, Gray leaned down and poked his head.

"Never gonna beat me if you can't even stand."

Growling, Fenris lunged at him again but Gray jumped backwards, laughing some more.

Fenris looked towards Faelen. "You gonna help out here or just leave me hanging?"

Faelen licked his lips and barked once. At the same time, Fenris felt a twinge of what felt like laughter in the back of his mind.

Fenris' eye twitched. "Thanks for the support buddy."

Gray continued to laugh as Fenris leaned on Faelen to stand. "Did you need something? Or did you just come here to laugh at my expense."

Gray put his hands in his pockets and walked back over to him. "A little of both. Master wanted you to meet him back at the guild hall when you finished training today."

"Why?"

Gray shrugged. "I dunno. He just wanted me to tell you that. I was on my way out to take a small job in Magnolia when he caught me."

Sighing, Fenris continued walking back to his room. "Maybe he thinks I'm not progressing fast enough in my magic training."

Gray tapped him one more time on the arm and jumped away. "Maybe he is. Never know until you go talk to him!" With that he sprinted away, laughing.

After taking a shower and putting on clean clothes, Fenris made his way back towards the grove where he practiced his magic.

Sitting down, Fenris closed his eyes, calming his mind. Faelen lay next to him.

Fenris reached for the wall that seemed to hold his magic. He was able to breach it much easier now, but couldn't break through completely. A few hours of this, and he wasn't making much progress.

His mind began to wander as he grew tired. He started to think of his past again. Although he tried to hold these memories back most days, he found they tended to creep up on him as he practiced magic.

He thought of his parents. And his friends. He thought of the men who killed them. But instead of making him angry, these thoughts calmed him even more.

He knew he had to take control of his powers to find out what happened to everyone. He had to get his revenge. He focused on that thought. Revenge. He had to get stronger. He had to do anything it took to get his answers.

Suddenly, the pebble shot into the air. It leveled off at his eyes and he stared at it.

After a few seconds, he realized what he had done and jumped up, whooping out of joy. The pebble fell back to the ground but he didn't care. He finally did it. He could move on with his training.

"Come on Faelen!" he shouted as he ran back to the guild.

Fenris sprinted back to the guild as fast as he could. He entered the guild hall and ran up the stairs two at a time. Fenris burst into his office and shouted, "Master I did it! I lifted the pebble!"

Master Makarov was overjoyed. "Well done my boy! Congratulations! How about we give you your official stamp now?"

Fenris delightfully agreed.

He brought Fenris down to the eating hall and gave him his Fairy Tail mark. Fenris decided on a silver mark on the side of his neck. The Master even had a special Fairy Tail stamp for Faelen that was able to show up on his fur. Faelen had his own black mark on his neck.

Remembering what Gray had told him earlier, Fenris said, "Master. Did you need to talk to me about something?"

"Hm? Oh, nothing lad. It can wait. Let's celebrate your accomplishments!"

And celebrate they did.

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.

.

After that day, Master Makarov had Fenris train with his magic in a number of ways. He had him try to push a training dummy away from him, lift larger rocks into the air, try to levitate, and try to enhance his own physical abilities.

Eventually, Fenris mastered them all to a certain extent. He wasn't great at it yet. He could lift a rock the size of his fist to eye level. He could levitate five feet in the air. He was even able to push the training dummy over 20 feet away.

As he continued his training over the next few months, he also became close to many of the Fairy Tail members. In particular, Gray, Erza, and Cana. Erza had eventually shed her shy exterior and was soon laughing and fighting with everyone else.

And because of his martial arts training, Fenris eventually became one of the most accomplished fighters in the guild. He wasn't necessarily the strongest, but his technical skills were unrivaled. Of course, that didn't mean he was able to take on Erza, who seemed to have the strength of a thousand men when she was angry. But, he was able to hold his own against most of the members.

Throughout his time at Fairy Tail, Fenris never forgot about his past. Any time he had a moment to himself, his thoughts would wander to Sphere Island. Even though everyone at Fairy Tail had become like his family, he knew nobody, other than Faelen, could truly ever replace what he had lost. Or at least he thought he did.

In the year X777, a little over a year in a half after he joined Fairy Tail, two significant events happened. One was the introduction of Natsu to the guild. And the other… was Kalea.

**Author's note:**

**And there it is! We finally figure out what kind of powers Fenris possesses. Yes, I've always wanted to incorporate the Force into a story like this. I'm a huge Star Wars fan and I've researched a lot about this power and everything you can do with it. Any and all powers he develops will be based on the real thing, I didn't just make anything up to make him OP. A lot of my information was incorporated from Force Unleashed. Just so everyone is aware, this is not a cross over with Star Wars. The only similarity will be Fenris' powers and that's it.**

**And that's all I have to say! Be back next week!**


	5. Chapter 4

**Author's note:**

**Hello! Another chapter up. Here we introduce two new characters to the story. One you are all familiar with. The lovable Natsu. His introduction will be fairly short, as this story focuses around Fenris. And the second introduction will be my other main character OC. Hopefully you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. That privilege belongs to Hiro Mashima**

The day Natsu joined the guild, the entire atmosphere changed. By the time he had arrived, Fenris and Faelen were very comfortable in the guild. Their true personalities had finally returned.

Fenris realized how reclusive he had been on his travels. Other than Faelen, he had been lonely. He hadn't had any friends. But now, he was laughing every day and smiling all the time. He and Faelen finally belonged somewhere.

Of course, he never forgot. He never forgot his parents or his past friends. He never forgot the sadness that lingered in the back of his mind. But he didn't let it affect him. Not around the others anyway. He put on a brave face. Because he really was happy to be with Fairy Tail. He didn't want the others to see that sadness. So, he kept that side of himself private. The only one to know how he truly felt was Faelen. But in public, he was as rowdy and happy as everyone else.

Adding Natsu to that equation was a recipe for disaster. In a fun way. Natsu was more energetic than anyone Fenris had ever known.

He, Natsu, and Gray developed a small rivalry almost at once. They could always be found fighting and were constantly trying to outdo one another.

A prime example of this was when Fenris was eating breakfast one morning. Faelen was basking beside him when Natsu ran up and sat down on the other side of the table. He just sat there, smirking at Fenris. Fenris raised an eyebrow.

"Whaddya want Natsu?" he asked.

"Oh nothing… I was just thinking about how crappy you are at eating breakfast." Fenris sweat dropped.

"How the heck can I be bad at eating breakfast? It's not even something you can compete at," responded Fenris.

"HA! And that my friend is why I will always be better than you. EVERYTHING is a competition, Fen," said Natsu.

One of Fenris' eyebrows twitched. He shot up and put one foot on top of the table. "Oh yeah? Fine. I challenge you to a breakfast eating competition. Right here, right now," said Fenris.

"You. Are. On," said Natsu.

Ten minutes later they had a pile of food in front of them. Everyone in the guild was standing around them cheering out their names. Gray stood on top of the table, refereeing the competition.

"Alright ladies!" he said to Natsu and Fenris. They both shot him an angry look. He smirked.

"Whoever finishes the very last bite is the winner! On your mark. Get set. GO!"

Thirty minutes later, Fenris was standing on top of the table, arms in the air. "HAHAHAHAHA I am the CHAMPIONNNNN!"

And then he bent over and hurled all over the floor.

Everyone ran away laughing at him and pretty soon Natsu started yet another fight. Just another day in Fairy Tail.

Events like this were a regular occurrence since Natsu joined. As time passed, Fenris' magical powers grew even more. He found that he was able to channel the magic through his hands, which made it much easier to control his abilities. Soon, he mastered everything Master Makarov threw at him. He could enhance his own physical abilities to the point that he was able to jump almost as high as the guild building itself.

He still thought about his parents and friends. He wanted to find answers. He continuously researched illegal guilds in the library, but so far he had come up with nothing. He knew he should tell the Master about his past, but something kept holding him back whenever he thought about it. He figured he could ask the Master any time, so he continued putting it off.

Then, one day his whole life changed. For the better. And it was all thanks to Kalea.

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.

.

It started off as a normal afternoon in the guild. Fenris was sitting at a table with Cana and Gray, laughing at some joke Cana had made about Gray's stripping. Then the doors burst open and the Master strode in.

Everyone started to greet him as usual when he raised a hand, silencing the guild. "Listen up everyone. Today, a new member will be joining us. I would like everyone to say hello to Kalea Baak."

A girl, Fenris guessed she was around his age, walked up from behind the Master. When Fenris saw her he froze. He couldn't stop staring at her.

He took note of her appearance. She was pretty short. About a head smaller then he was. She had light brown hair that fell just below her shoulders. Her eyes were the same color as her hair. She seemed… special. That was all he could think. She was special…

Kalea noticed him watching her. She stared at him for a few seconds. Her eyes widened slightly. A moment later, she turned her head and walked to the furthest table away from him. She sat down and looked down at her lap.

Clearing his throat, the Master continued. "Yes…well. I hope everyone will help make Kalea feel at home. We are all a family, and now so is she."

He walked over to the bar and ordered a drink. An awkward silence fell around the guild. Then, slowly, people went back to their conversations.

Glancing over to her, Fenris saw Kalea sitting by herself. She was staring down at her lap, a slight frown on her face.

"Man, she looks cheerful."

Fenris turned his head and saw Grey was also watching her, along with Cana and Natsu.

"I'm sure she's just shy. Everyone is when they get here at first."

Grey scoffed. "Natsu sure wasn't."

A smile spreading across his face, Natsu said, "Why would I need to be shy? Everyone here seemed great!"

He glanced at Grey. "I mean besides popsicle breath."

"What'd you say fire brains?!"

Realizing a fight was about to break out, Fenris said, "I'm gonna go over to the bar and get some more food."

He and Faelen walked up to the bar as Grey and Natsu began fighting. Sitting next to the Master, he ordered some more food.

Master Makarov took a swig of his drink and looked over at Fenris. "What do you think of our new member Fenris?"

Fenris glanced at Kalea again before answering. "She's…different. I know I was shy when I first got here but I at least made an effort to get to know everyone."

Master Makarov smiled at him. "I understand. But as I said before, I hope you and everyone else help make Kalea feel at home. She has traveled quite a distance to be here. I wouldn't judge her based on this first impression. Oftentimes, we give too much value on the surface and miss what lies underneath."

The Master patted him on the back and hopped down off his stool. Taking his drink, he walked back up the stairs to his office.

Picking up his fork, Fenris poked at his food, thinking about what Master Makarov said.

.

.

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Over the next few weeks, everyone tried their best to incorporate Kalea into the guild. However, Kalea disregarded all their efforts. Not once had she spoken to anyone.

"You know, she's actually even more moody than Erza was when she first joined," Grey said. He and Fenris were sitting in the guild hall one morning, eating breakfast with Natsu and Cana.

"Yeah…it's like she hates all of us without even getting to know us," said Natsu.

"Guys, stop. She isn't _mean _to anyone. She just…won't talk to us," said Cana.

Fenris took a bite of his eggs as he looked at Kalea. She was sitting at the same table she had been at on her first day. After her arrival, other members of the guild would sit with her and try to talk with her.

As she continued to ignore them, attempts at making conversation became less frequent. Although the occasional person still tried talking with her, most of the guild tended to leave her alone after a while.

Fenris hadn't made an effort to talk with Kalea at first. He was still trying to figure out why she had caught his attention so much when she arrived. Whenever he saw her, he felt…strange. He couldn't pinpoint exactly how he felt. He felt his chest constrict whenever he laid eyes on her.

However, he eventually decided it was time to make an effort and stop ignoring her. it wasn't her fault he felt so weird around her.

He and Faelen were looking for a job to make some extra food money. Once he finally picked one, Fenris was making his way to the Master to get it approved when he noticed Kalea sitting alone. He hesitated, then elected to hold off on the job. It could wait.

As he turned towards Kalea, Fenris saw her quickly look down at her lap. Wondering what that was about, Fenris made his way to where she was sitting.

"Hey Kalea."

Waiting for a response, he put one hand on Faelen. Faelen sat down, wagging his tail and looking up at Kalea.

After waiting a few minutes, Fenris continued.

"Do you mind if I sit down?" he asked. Still nothing.

Taking the initiative, Fenris sat across from her, giving her a smile. Her head still turned down, she raised her eyes and glanced at him before looking back down at her lap.

"So…how are you liking it at the guild?" Nothing.

"You know, if you ever need someone to talk to, you could always talk to me. Or Faelen. He's a great guy to talk to." Faelen barked.

Kalea glanced at the big wolf. For a brief second, her mouth twitched. Fenris swore she almost smiled.

Trying to think of something to say, Fenris eyes wandered to a plate of food on the table beside them.

"The food here is pretty good right? Personally, I think breakfast is a little better than lunch. But I'm a breakfast kinda guy. The cooks here can make all sorts of eggs. Like there's this one kind they make where they put bread in a pan and take out some of the middle of it. Then they put an egg in the middle and it's sooo good. My mom actually used to…make…"

He trailed off. He hadn't meant to mention his mom, it just spilled out of him. Kalea looked up and stared at him. Excluding the day she had arrived, this was the first time she looked someone full in the face.

He looked back at her. _Her eyes are so…pretty, _he thought. Gold flecks danced in them as the light shimmered from a window above. They had a depth that he had never seen in anyone else's.

But as he looked into her eyes, he thought he saw something else. He couldn't tell exactly what, but it seemed like she was hiding something behind those eyes.

After another few minutes, Kalea looked away from him towards the bar. He followed her gaze and saw someone cooking.

"Maybe they heard me and are gonna make those eggs now," he said.

She didn't respond. _Man, I can't get anything from her._

"Do you have a favorite food? Or maybe a favorite color?" he asked.

Kalea turned her head back down to stare at her lap.

Trying to hold out a little longer, Fenris sat in silence. A few minutes later, with no response from Kalea, he finally got up.

"Look Kalea, like I said before, I'm here for you if you need someone to talk to." Realizing what he just said, he stuttered and backtracked.

" I-I mean we're all here for you at the guild. We're all family. And now you're our family." He wasn't sure what had come over him. Talking to her made him feel unnaturally flustered for some reason.

Walking away, he thought to himself, _Jeez I really messed that one up. _

Over the next few weeks, whenever he spotted her in the guild, Fenris made an effort to talk with Kalea. He would ask her questions and, when she wouldn't respond, he would tell her his own answers.

"The weather is _finally _warm right? Personally, I'm not a fan of the cold. I've been around it for way too long and I think I've had enough for a life time." He thought back to his home. It had always been colder than other places in Fiore.

Kalea wouldn't deign to answer him, but he realized over time that he didn't really care. He found her presence comforting. For some reason being around her just felt…right.

Natsu always questioned him as to why he kept this up.

"Don't you think you should just give her space? It seems like she doesn't really enjoy your 'conversations,'" he said, putting air quotes around the word conversations.

"I thought that too at first. But I feel like I might break a barrier soon. I don't know. I just don't really want to give up yet."

Shrugging, Natsu went back to his food. Lisanna, who was sitting with them, said, "I think it's sweet Fenris. I don't think you should give up either. I've been wanting to talk with her, but I think I'm just too shy…"

"You should do it! Everyone kind of gave up talking with her but I feel like the more people try, the more likely we are to win her over."

Lisanna smiled at him. "I love your optimism."

Natsu glared at him. "Hey! I didn't mean we should give up on her. I just meant right now she seems to be really shy. Maybe it would be better to give her some space until she feels more comfortable with us is all I meant. We're Fairy Tail! We don't give up on our friends so of course I wouldn't give up on her!"

Lisanna laughed and patted him on the shoulder. "You're right Natsu."

The more Fenris talked with Kalea, the more he felt comfortable answering his own questions. It was as if he was getting to know himself, but he still enjoyed the one-sided conversations.

As the weeks wore on, his optimism started to waver until one day, he finally made some progress.

"So do you know anything about the guilds in Fiore? I had no clue about most of them until I arrived at Fairy Tail. Since I've been here, I've been researching the other guilds just to keep up with what's been going on around the continent. I figure it's probably important to keep yourself informed."

Silence as usual.

"I think Blue Pegasus seems like a cool guild. But then there's Quatro Cerberus or Lamia Scale or…" he began listing off the guilds one by one. At this point, everything he said was to try and get some sort of response from Kalea.

After listing a few more guilds, Fenris glanced up at the clock on the wall near the bar. "Oh crap! I gotta go I'm sorry. Me and Faelen have a job later and we're supposed to be at the client's house by one today. I'll see you tomorrow!"

He jumped up and was already half way to the door when a voice said, "Silver. I like silver."

Looking back, Kalea was still staring at her lap. He thought he saw a slight red tinge to her cheeks as she sat there.

Smiling, he said, "I like that color too."

As he exited the guild, he felt…happy. He didn't really understand why. That had been one of the first questions he'd ever asked her. He couldn't believe she still remembered that conversation with him. But he was glad she did.

.

.

.

A few months after the arrival of Kalea, Fenris was walking down the road next to the river. Faelen was in front of him, smelling the food carts as they passed by them. As he continued walking, he thought of Kalea. His mind often drifted to her when he wasn't busy. She was an enigma to him, but he couldn't get her out of his head.

It was late afternoon and most people were headed home after a long day's work. Fenris smiled as he saw a mother with her son, who couldn't be much younger than he was, looking into a store window.

"Mommy! Can I get a toy? Pleaseeeeee." The boy was trying to drag his mother into the toy store.

Laughing, the boy's mother said, "I'll tell you what. Since next week is your birthday, I'll get you a nice surprise from the toy store. How about that?"

"Yay! I love surprises!"

Smiling, the boy squeezed her hand as they turned away from the store towards Fenris.

Suddenly, Fenris' vision flickered.

"What the…?" he said, rubbing his eyes. As he opened them, he froze. Everything was black and white, as if he was suddenly colorblind.

His eyes wandered around the street until they fell on the mother and son. His breath caught. He took a step back.

Fenris was looking into his mother's face.

She was smiling at him, holding his younger self's hand. Then, she began walking towards him with slow, measured steps.

"Welcome home Fenris." His mother extended a hand out to him. Mouth open, Fenris stared at her face.

"M-mom…"

He reached for her hand…and his vision flickered again. The mother and son were back. The color returned to his eyes. He was reaching towards her as they got closer.

The mother saw him and stopped a few feet away, holding her son behind her. "C-can I help you?" she asked.

Realizing what he was doing, Fenris dropped his hand. "I-I'm sorry!"

He stumbled backwards, tripping over a bench. Falling to the ground, Fenris stared up in terror at the woman. What just happened?

Scrambling to his feet, he ran as fast as he could. Away from the mother and son. Away from the people. Away from his fears.

Fenris continued running until his legs gave out. He dropped to the ground, trying to catch his breath. Faelen ran up to him, worry in his eyes.

Fenris sat on the ground, staring up at the sky. Still breathing hard, he said to Faelen, "I-I don't think I'm as good as I thought I was Faelen. I-I-I don't know what's happening to me."

Faelen sat next to him, laying his head on Fenris' shoulder. He whined in his ear, letting him know he was there for him. Hands shaking, Fenris slowly caressed the soft fur beneath his fingers.

They sat there for a few minutes, Fenris trying to compose himself, when Faelen heard something. His ears perked up and he jerked his head towards the river. Fenris realized he had ran all the way to the Magnolia Park.

Then Fenris heard it too. Crying. He looked around, trying to discern where it was coming from. He slowly stood, legs still shaking. As he walked, searching for the source of the crying, his thoughts continued wandering back to the mother and son. To his mother.

The crying grew louder as they approached one of the giant trees near the river. Curious, Fenris decided to take a small peak. He crept to the tree and cautiously poked his head around it. It was Kalea.

She was crying, her legs curled up in front of her. Fenris stared. He had never seen her like this. He was about to say something when he felt a tug on the back of his shirt. Faelen was trying to pull him away from the tree. He knew what Faelen was thinking.

She wouldn't want anyone to see her like this. Why else would she be out here by herself? He walked away from the tree, glancing back one more time to where she was sitting.

As he walked out of the park, he thought of Kalea. He tried to think of what could have upset her. Should he ask? Even though he thought of her as a friend, he wasn't sure she felt the same.

As he turned the corner, the park disappeared from view, but Kalea's crying image remained burned into his eyes.

It pained him to see her like that. He wasn't exactly sure why though. He thought on it all the way home. He thought on it as he got dressed for bed. He thought on it as he lay down, Faelen curled up at his feet.

And he thought on what happened with the mother and son. Ever since arriving at Fairy Tail, he had done his best to distract himself from his past. He would never forget his parents or friends, he just wanted to forget his pain. He felt so lonely before arriving.

But as he sat in bed, he realized his pain was still there. Manifesting itself in his vision from earlier. But he also realized that he wasn't the only one in pain.

Something from Kalea's past caused her to act the way she did. Something brought her to that tree tonight. And despite her reluctance to open herself up to him, Fenris felt protective over her. He felt like he needed to help her in any way he could.

He focused on that thought. He wanted to help Kalea. He wanted her to join in on the conversations. He wanted her to laugh with everyone else. He wanted to break her out of the shell she hid behind.

And although he knew his pain would never truly go away, he suddenly had a reason to keep moving forward. He would help her. If it was the last thing he ever did.

**Author's note:**

**And there we are! Kalea has entered the picture. Her character appearance is loosely based around Asuna for SAO. I really love her character design and, once I can find someone to do it, I eventually want to get her and Fenris' pictures up on this story. Her personality is going to be a slow burner, as this is a retelling of the entire story of Fairy Tail. But I think you'll like her character development as the story unfolds. **

**Once again I thank you very much for reading!**


	6. Chapter 5

**Author's note:**

**Here we go! I do want to apologize as this chapter is a bit short. However, next week's chapter is going to have quite a bit of drama so I didn't want to overload everyone at once. We'll delve more into Fenris' attempts to get Kalea out of her shell in this chapter. Hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. That privilege belongs to Hiro Mashima**

As time passed, things went by rather normally in the guild. People fought. People laughed. Major events happened. Happy was born. That was a fun time. Everyone was amazed that a CAT had somehow hatched from that giant egg. Faelen had been more excited than anyone.

He ran up to Happy and sniffed him repeatedly. Happy smiled up at him and said, "Aye!"

They became extremely close after that. If Faelen wasn't by Fenris' side, which wasn't often, he could be found with Happy in the guild hall.

Fenris's powers continued developing at a rapid pace. He always trained at the grove where he first started practicing magic. There was something about the area that helped calm his mind.

One day, when he was meditating, he sensed another presence. Faelen's ears perked. He sensed it too.

Fenris used this opportunity for practice. Whoever it was, they weren't showing themselves. He tried to sense who they were. He had developed this ability a few months after learning magic, but he always had a difficult time determining who they were. As he focused, he felt a presence he had come to know very well. He hesitated. It couldn't be.

_Faelen, is it her?_He could feel Faelen's acknowledgement. _What could she be doing here…_he thought. He continued to mediate for another hour, thinking she would leave.

But Kalea stayed.

Once he finished his meditation, he sank back to the ground. He kept his eyes closed. Then, he felt her presence slowly fading. She was walking back now.

He opened his eyes. As he expected, nobody was there besides Faelen. "Why do you think she was here?" he asked Faelen. Faelen cocked his head to one side.

"Yeah that's okay. She's strange I guess." He thought back to that day in the park. "Strange…"

That night, he was lying in bed with Faelen when he said, "Faelen." He felt the wolf acknowledge him.

"I just wanted to let you know… I'm really happy I found you. Or you found me I guess. If it hadn't been for you I honestly don't know if I could have made it this far. I really do love you buddy." Faelen started licking his face and Fenris began to laugh.

Once his powers developed enough, Fenris started going on missions to earn money. He was making just enough now to move out of Fairy Hills and get his own place. It wasn't much. Just a studio apartment, but it was home now.

Just like Fairy Tail was his home. He had finally found a family after so long. Although they could never completely fill the void left by his parents deaths, his friends meant everything to him.

So many things had changed for Fenris in such a short amount of time since joining Fairy Tail. There was one thing that didn't change however. And that was Kalea. A year after her arrival, Kalea was still as secluded as ever from most of the guild. Only two people could get her to respond to them. One was Fenris, while the other was Lisanna.

After seeing Kalea cry, Fenris knew he had to do whatever it took to help her. He didn't know what she was hiding, but it didn't matter to him. He wanted her to smile. At least once a day, Fenris would bring her food and eat with her.

Although he had finally gotten a response out of her, it seemed like that was a one-time answer. She had gone back to her seclusion since that day. But Fenris persevered. Her sadness wasn't something he could ignore, even if she tried to hide it.

Then came his second break-through.

"So when we got there, the guy wasn't even the one we were supposed to find. Turns out we had went to the wrong house so needless to say we didn't get the money from that job."

Fenris was telling Kalea about the previous job he had been on. He had been sent to find a thief who had stolen a rare glass dragon from one of the wealthier residents of Magnolia. Somehow, he had gotten lost despite living in Magnolia from years, and the thief got away.

Faelen barked. Fenris looked down at him and groaned. "Yeah, yeah. I know you could've found the right place but I wanted to try and rely on my _own _senses rather than you for once."

Fenris took a bite of his bacon when a voice said, "Why?"

He glanced up and saw Kalea looking at him. This being only the second time he had heard her voice, he was slightly taken aback but recovered quickly. He didn't want to lose this opportunity.

"Why didn't I get Faelen's help? Well like I said I alw-" he was cut off as Kalea spoke again.

"No. Why do you always do this? Why do you always bring me food and sit here?"

"I…just thought you needed a friend. You've seemed so…lonely since you got to Fairy Tail."

She looked at him for a few moments before responding. "So you felt pity for me. I don't need your pity. If you've just been doing this because you felt bad then please stop. I'm fine with how things are here. I have a place to stay. That's all I really need. I _like _being alone. It means I have control over my own life."

"I-I didn't do this because I pitied you. I honestly just wanted to be friends. I feel like you keep most things to yourself because it's difficult to find people who understand. Not that I'm saying I understand either, but I'm willing to try."

As he finished, Fenris saw Kalea's eyes widen for a brief second, but she recovered almost at once.

She looked back down at her lap and Fenris thought he had lost the conversation. But then she picked up a fork and took a bite out of the egg he had brought her.

"This is good," she said after swallowing her food.

Cracking a wide smile, Fenris said, "See? I told you. Have you never had any of the eggs? You've been at the guild for a while."

"No. I don't eat breakfast here often."

"Oh. Well you should. We could eat together if you wanted."

Looking at him, Kalea said, "I don't have the money to eat here all the time. I don't know how everyone else does it."

"Everyone goes on jobs to earn their keep. I have my own place now 'cause I was able to make enough from my jobs. Do you not go on jobs? Where do you stay?"

"It doesn't matter."

Fenris realized he may have hit her limit when it came to conversations. Not wanting to ruin his progress, he didn't push her on the subject.

"Well, if you ever do want to eat some breakfast with me and get more of these delicious eggs, I'm all for it." He smiled at her.

She didn't return the smile, but she didn't look back down at her lap. She stared at him for another second before going back to her food.

"They are good eggs," she said again.

Laughing, Fenris took a bite of his own eggs. "Yeah. They are."

It took some time after this, but eventually Kalea gave in. A few weeks after their conversation, Fenris was sitting down in the guild hall eating breakfast. He and Faelen were taking a job later that day, so Fenris had gotten to the guild early. Not many guild members took early days, so the place was almost empty.

As he ate his food, Fenris heard the door open and looked up. Kalea entered the guild hall, scanning the room. As their eyes met, she stopped in her tracks and stared at him. A moment later, she walked towards him.

As he moved his plate aside, Kalea sat down across from him.

"So…you want some breakfast?" he asked.

"Yeah."

Smiling, Fenris got up and walked to the bar. He ordered the same dish he had gotten for himself and headed back to where Kalea was sitting

As he approached, he noticed Faelen laying on top of the table. He was laying in front of Kalea, and she had one hand on his back, slowly scratching him.

When she noticed Fenris, her hand shot back down to her side.

Placing her food in front of her, Fenris sat down and said, "He's pretty soft isn't he? I never know how he gets so soft. I give him baths but I feel like he's abnormally soft."

Realizing he was using the word 'soft' too much, Fenris felt his cheeks burn. However, she didn't respond. Picking up a fork, she took a bite of eggs.

Fenris went back to his food and continued eating. A comfortable silence ensued. When he was almost finished eating, Kalea finally spoke.

"Thank you."

Looking up, he saw she had finished her food already.

"Hm? Oh. No worries! Everyone needs to eat their breakfast an-"

"That's not what I'm talking about. I just wanted to thank you for what you've been doing. I really…appreciate it."

"Oh. I-it's nothing! I just wanted to help out."

"That's all?"

Fenris wasn't sure how to respond. He hadn't understood why he continued trying to make friends with Kalea. As their "conversations" continued, he found he enjoyed sitting with her more and more. Despite the fact that she hadn't responded well to him at first, he didn't want to give up.

Seeing her start to come out of her shell made him happy.

"Ye-yeah. I want to help everyone. I don't like to see people sad. And I know…you're sad. Eyes always speak the truth, even if everything else is a lie."

Wanting her to understand him, he continued. "Sadness…is like a disease. It can spread quickly, without you even realizing it. And before you know it, it takes over. I don't want you to get caught up in that."

Kalea stared at him. Her mouth was slightly open. This was the first time he had seen her taken aback.

As the words spilled out of him, Fenris realized he was thinking about his own past. He finally understood what he saw behind her eyes. Sadness. Loneliness. Exactly what he had been feeling when he left Sphere Island. He knew she had gone through something, and he wanted to protect her from the darkness that had consumed him before he met Faelen.

He still didn't know why he had taken such an interest in her past. But at that moment, he didn't care. He just wanted her to know that he would be there for her, even if she didn't want it.

"I-I-I have to go." She abruptly got up and ran out of the guild.

Staring after her, Fenris thought he might have gone too far. _What the hell was I thinking? We aren't even _friends _and I said all that stuff to her? Crap…_he thought.

He didn't know enough about her to understand what she was going through. Kalea had momentarily let her walls down, but Fenris felt as though he may have taken advantage of that.

He felt terrible.

Kalea stopped coming to the guild after that day.

Erza asked Fenris if he knew what happened to her.

"I…think I messed up. I got too excited and said some things I probably shouldn't have. I was just really happy she was finally talking and I couldn't stop myself."

She smiled at him. "I understand Fenris. I'm sure you didn't mean to cause her any discomfort. But maybe you should be the one to go find her. If you feel as though you caused this, which I'm sure was unintentional, perhaps you should help her."

"I want to! I just don't know how to find her. Nobody knows where she lives. I've been asking around and everyone says the only time they ever see her is in the guild hall. Not even the Master knows where she lives. Apparently when they were making arrangements, she told him she would be able to find a place on her own. Master insisted he should help, but she wouldn't let him."

Erza nodded. "I see. I'll try to help you however I can. Don't worry Fen, I'm sure she's okay."

It was weeks before Fenris finally made a breakthrough in his searching. Faelen had been trying to help him, but not even the wolf's keen senses could find Kalea.

One day, as he was walking through the streets of Magnolia, a thought popped into his head. That day in the park, when he found her by the tree. He had searched the park multiple times but had somehow forgotten about that tree by the river.

"That's gotta be it. Come on Faelen!"

They sprinted to the park. As Fenris closed in on the tree he had seen her sitting at, he slowed his pace. He didn't want to do anything that could upset Kalea if she was indeed there.

He approached the tree slowly and, as he got closer, his optimism at finally finding her faded.

Nobody was there.

_Damn…_

Fenris gazed at the tree for a few minutes before sitting beside it. Faelen sat down next to him and licked his face. He scratched his jaw and sighed. As he sat there, it began to rain. _Perfect…_

"I can't believe after all that progress I ruined it so easily. It took _so long _to get to that point. And now it's all gone."

He sat in the rain for another hour, watching leaves float along the river in front of him. As the sky grew darker, he sighed again and was about to get to his feet when he heard a twig snap.

Turning his head, he saw Kalea standing a few feet away, staring at him. Her mouth was slightly open and she had a worried look in her eyes. Her hair was damp from the rain, which was coming down heavy now.

Not believing his luck, Fenris was about to jump up when he remembered why he had been searching for her in the first place. He had gotten too excited and said something he shouldn't have.

He needed to approach this with more caution.

Smiling up at her, Fenris waved. "Hey there. Funny seeing you here."

Not responding, Kalea continued staring at him.

"So…it's been a while since you've been at the guild. Everyone's worried about you. You don't have to explain why you haven't been showing up but…I just wanted to say I'm sorry. About what I said to you that day. It was totally out of line and I-"

Kalea started walking towards him, catching him off guard.

As she approached, Fenris saw her hand clench tightly into a fist.

She sat down beside him and looked towards the river.

Wanting to take things more slowly, Fenris waited for her to respond. It took almost a half hour for this, but eventually Kalea spoke.

"It wasn't what you said. It was how much truth was behind your words. I've done…a really good job at hiding things from other people. At least I thought I was until you started talking to me. What you said that day…it's like everything I've been thinking you somehow knew. It scared me. Scared me more than anything. I didn't like it."

He hesitated. Then, "I'm…really sorry. I didn't mean to say those things. I jus-"

"Yes you did. You meant every word. And the truth is…you were right."

Not wanting to overstep his boundaries again, Fenris chose his next words carefully.

"Sometimes…you have to experience sadness to realize what happiness is. But things get better. I know I said it's like a disease. But that isn't always the case. Sometimes…it's kinda like this storm. It's pouring right now, but rain doesn't last forever."

As he spoke those words, the rain began to lighten. Seconds later, the moon broke through the clouds, shining down on the two of them.

Kalea looked at Fenris, her eyes indecipherable. Her hair shined with a wet sheen, and Fenris felt his breath catch. She looked…amazing.

In that moment, they were the only two people on the planet. Fenris felt time stop.

Then, moments later, it passed. He breathed out. Kalea breathed at the same time. They both turned their heads towards the river, the moonlight shining down on it.

"Thank you Fenris."

**Author's note:**

**Fenris has finally made some breakthroughs with Kalea! Their relationship is going to be a slow and steady process so don't expect too much for now. In case anybody was wondering, I do know Happy is afraid of dogs when he's older. His relationship with Faelen will be explained but just not yet. As I mentioned earlier, next week's chapter will be pact full of drama and much longer than this one so I hope you continue to enjoy reading!**


	7. Chapter 6

**Author's note:**

**Hello all! We got a lot going on in this chapter so let's get right to it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. That privilege belongs to Hiro Mashima**

The following day, Kalea returned to the guild.

Fenris was sitting down with Natsu and Cana when she entered around mid-afternoon. Everyone turned their head, watching her as she entered the guild.

The guild burst out in surprise and happiness, everyone jumping up to crowd around her. Fenris stayed in his seat as the crowd grew. He knew she would hate being surrounded by so many people.

But as he watched, thinking she would drop her gaze to the floor, Fenris was surprised. Kalea didn't back away from anyone. Although she didn't smile, her eyes wandered back and forth as people greeted her, telling her how worried they were. She nodded to questions and waved away people who offered her food.

As the crowd continued questioning her, their eyes met. Kalea looked at him briefly, before a small smile crept onto her face. He smiled at her and nodded his head. She nodded back. His view of her was obscured by the crowd as more and more people greeted her.

Fenris looked down at Faelen, who was wagging his tail, staring over at Kalea.

"I think we may have found our breakthrough buddy." Faelen barked.

Eventually, the crowd around Kalea went back to what they had been doing before she arrived. As the final person walked away, welcoming her back, Kalea stood in the middle of the guild, glancing around.

She walked towards Fenris, who moved plates away to make room for her. Natsu and Cana had went to the bar to order more food.

Sitting in the seat across from him, Kalea looked at his empty plate.

"Do you want me to get you something?"

She shook her head. "I wanted to get you something. If you were still hungry."

Not expecting this, Fenris didn't respond for a moment. "Oh. I-uh-yeah sure! If it's not too much trouble. You don't have to get me anything though."

Kalea got up and walked to the bar. Fenris saw Natsu and Cana welcome her back. She nodded at them and ordered food. Minutes later, she returned with two plates.

She handed him his food and sat down to eat.

"Everyone seems really happy you're back. They were really worried about you."

She took a bite of egg and swallowed. "Were you?"

"I-I mean yes of course! I'd worry about any of the guild if they suddenly disappeared. We're all family here. We look out for each other."

"A family…"

"Yeah! You're part of Fairy Tail Kalea. We'll always be there for you."

As he finished, he saw another smile creep across her face. Her smiles never reached her eyes, but Fenris found them to be truly genuine.

After that day, Kalea began to lower her walls to other members of the guild. Although she never held long conversations with people, she finally spoke up.

Fenris found himself smiling whenever he saw her talking to other members of the guild. Erza in particular made an effort to make her feel comfortable.

"Why do you always have that goofy smile on your face when you look at Kalea?"

Shaking his head, Fenris realized he was staring at Kalea. It was a sunny afternoon as he sat with Natsu and Gray in the guild hall. He had just gotten back from a mission in a town a few miles from Magnolia. It was the first time he had taken a mission away from Magnolia and it had been a rousing success.

He was celebrating his earnings with them, having a cake eating contest, when his gaze must've drifted to Kalea.

"Shut up Natsu. I'm about to win!"

He stuffed the last piece of cake in his mouth and washed it down with some milk. Standing up, Fenris shouted, "AND THE WIN GOES TO THE GREAT FENRIS!"

Everyone around him began laughing and cheering. Natsu and Gray scowled at him from where they were sitting. Fenris scanned the room, basking in the cheers, when he caught Kalea's eyes.

He grinned at her and, after a brief second, she smiled back. A wide smile. A smile that brightened the entire room. Fenris' heart skipped a beat. And he thought, as he saw that smile, he had never seen anything more perfect.

Kalea's growth in the guild was one of the greatest things Fenris had ever been through. She never participated in any of the fights. And she was never the first one to start a conversation, but she finally seemed like she wanted to be there with everyone.

Although she didn't visit the guild every day, Fenris made an effort on the days she did show up to eat with her and make sure she didn't regress. He didn't want Kalea to put up her walls again.

As the months wore on, Lisanna began joining him with Kalea. Lisanna had always been a kind, caring friend to Fenris. She was the perfect person to help Kalea.

Until Lisanna, Fenris was the only one in the guild Kalea could start a conversation with. She did talk to everyone else, but only when they initiated.

But over time, she also grew close to Lisanna. Fenris even found them hanging out without him.

"You know Fen, maybe you and Kalea should go on a job together one of these days," said Lisanna.

It was beginning to get cold out again. Autumn was slowly fading into winter as Fenris sat in the guild hall with Lisanna, Kalea, and Faelen.

He looked up from his plate, his mouth stuffed with food.

"Whhmm mmhph oyouhh hmmphh," he said, his mouth still full.

Kalea gave him a stern look. "Stop eating with your mouth full Fenris. It's gross."

He swallowed and grinned. "Hehe sorry about that. Anyway. What made you so interested Lisanna?"

Lisanna smirked at him. "Oh I don't know. I just feel like you two would gel together out there."

Kalea's cheeks burned red and she shot up. "I'm going to get some more food."

As she walked away, Fenris glared at Lisanna. "That was such a dumb thing to say Lisanna. Why'd you go and make her feel weird."

Lisanna smiled at him. "I've watched you both for a long time Fenris. And I've been hanging out with the two of you long enough to know what's going on."

"Wait. What's that supposed to mean? What's going on? There's nothing going on Lisanna. I just helped her when she needed help is all."

Lisanna eyed him. "I know you did. It was really kind of you Fenris. You're probably one of the nicest people here. And you deserve happiness. I think Kalea can be your happiness."

Fenris didn't know what to say. Where was all this coming from? His happiness? What was that supposed to mean? He _was _happy at Fairy Tail. And when he was with Kalea…he was even more happy, he realized. What…did that mean?

Kalea came back with more food. "What're you two talking about?"

Her cheeks were still red.

Fenris caught Lisanna's eyes and shook his head. "We were just talking about how cold it's getting already. I feel like I gotta buy new clothes. Do you wanna come along?"

Kalea eyed them suspiciously. "Sure…Lisanna do you want to come with?"

Lisanna grinned at the two of them. "Sure!"

As the three of them walked the streets of Magnolia, laughing together, Fenris felt as though he had finally pulled Kalea from her darkness. He knew she truly felt like she belonged now.

Then came the day Lisanna died.

When Fenris was around 16, Lisanna, Elfman, and Mira had gone on their first S-Class mission together. Fenris was a little jealous, but he knew his time would come.

A few days later, while he was sitting with Kalea in the guild hall, the door burst open. Elfman and Mira came in, Elfman leaning against Mira. They looked as though they had been through hell and back. Then they gave everyone the grave news.

After Lisanna died, the mood around the guild darkened significantly. There were tears everywhere. Every night, Faelen would howl at the sky. Fenris felt incredibly sad. Sadder than he had ever been other than that day on Sphere Island. Yet he could still not cry. He thought this was strange. But there was nothing he could do about it.

On the day of the funeral, everyone was there, dressed in black. It was a dreary, stormy day. After the Master gave his speech a few others went up to talk. Mira and Elfman, Erza, even Cana. Fenris stood next to Kalea and Faelen. As Erza went up to make a speech, he felt something touch his left hand. He realized it was Kalea. Her fingers had brushed up against his.

He glanced down at her but couldn't see her face. Then, her fingers moved against his again. Impulsively, he reached out and grasped her hand. He expected her to jerk it away, but she didn't. She wrapped her fingers around his.

Something in his chest expanded. It felt as if his heart was in pain. Faelen looked up at him. Fenris glanced down at Kalea again and noticed her shoulders were shaking. He squeezed her hand again and she squeezed back.

They continued holding hands throughout the entire ceremony. Once it was over, she still didn't let go. People started walking away or walking up to the grave. But Kalea didn't move. So neither did Fenris. And of course Faelen sat by his side, ever faithful.

Eventually, she stirred. He looked down at her at the same time she looked up at him. She was crying. His heart hurt again. He remembered his promise to himself to never let her cry again. He wanted to do something. Seeing her face made him realize how powerless he truly was.

Then, Kalea hugged him.

This caught him by surprise. He didn't respond for a few seconds but then hugged her back. They stood there for a long time. Then she stepped back a little. "Fenris… thank you…" she said.

Before he could respond she walked away. He stood there dumbfounded. Faelen nudged his hand and he started petting him. "I'm worried buddy. I'm worried this might ruin all the progress Kalea made."

.

.

.

Lisanna's death dealt a major blow to the guild. Although a few people were more effected than others. Elfman and Mira were obviously distraught at the loss of their sister. Elfman in particular felt he was the reason she died. No matter what the others told him, he couldn't help feel guilty. His guilt was so immense, he restricted his magic to one arm, in the hopes he would never harm those he loved again.

Mira's aggressive attitude disappeared completely after her loss. She had always been confident and assured of herself. But now, it was as though all the confidence had been sapped away. She couldn't even use her magic anymore. She was a broken shell.

And poor Natsu. He was almost as devastated as Mira and Elfman. He and Lisanna had always had a close bond growing up. Fenris often noticed them getting along well. They had been the ones to hatch Happy.

Although Natsu wasn't one to wallow in self-pity, his usually cheerful demeanor certainly lessoned. When he thought nobody was paying attention, Fenris often saw his smile falter.

Fenris couldn't blame them. He understood what they were going through. Just when he had started to remember what it was like to have a family, he lost yet another important person in his life.

But he was more worried about Kalea. After Lisanna's death, Kalea stopped coming to the guild as often.

She was visibly regressing to her former self, talking less and less, ignoring people who tried to talk with her. She even hesitated talking to Fenris at times. Things were falling apart before his eyes and he couldn't do anything to stop it. He wanted to save Kalea. But it seemed as if life had different plans.

Over the next few months, Fenris noticed a visible change in her appearance. She seemed thinner. Her complexion was getting paler.

"Kalea…I'm worried about you."

Fenris was sitting with her one morning in the guild hall. It had been over half a year since Lisanna's death and things weren't getting any better. Kalea was significantly thinner now. She always looked sick, with dark bags under her eyes.

She looked up at him from her plate. She had barely eaten anything.

"I'm fine Fenris."

He wanted to tread lightly with her but he couldn't in this situation. He shook his head.

"No you're not. Look at yourself Kalea. You're sick. You're white as a ghost and you look like you haven't eaten anything in months. If you keep this u-"

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU EXPECT?!"

Her sudden outburst shut him up at once. Those who were in the guild hall stared at her. Kalea was standing up, both hands on the table, glaring at him.

"Kalea I-"

"Do you expect me to just feel great after everything that happened?! Do you expect me to just go back to normal? I finally open up and the-"

She cut herself off. Continuing to glare at him, her hands clenched into fists and she slammed them onto the table.

"You don't get it Fenris. You don't understand what I'm going through. You don't understand what anyone is going through! You just sit there and keep talking to me as if everything is fine! You jus-"

"SHUT UP!"

Kalea closed her mouth at once. Fenris was visibly shaking with rage. He couldn't control himself. He was usually able to control his emotions, but Kalea had pushed him beyond a limit he didn't realize he had.

"Who do _you _think you are?! You don't know what I've been through! You don't know me at _all! _How dare you accuse me of not understanding! Of not caring! How _dare _you!"

Fenris got up, knocking his chair over and roughly pushing the table out of his way. Ignoring the people around him, he stomped out of the guild hall and went home.

He slammed his door shut and went up to his room. Leaving his shoes on, he collapsed onto the bed, still shaking with rage. Who the hell did she think she was?

_Does she seriously think she's the only one effected by this? She doesn't know me. She doesn't know the shit I've been through. She doesn't know _anything.

He sat there, still seething in bed. Faelen lay on the ground, looking up at him with worry in his eyes. He sat up, trying to calm himself, when suddenly the doorbell rang.

He almost ignored it, when it rang again.

Groaning, he got up and made his way downstairs. Hoping whoever it was would be quick, he opened the door and was about to ask what they wanted when his breath caught.

Kalea was standing in front of him.

Her chest rose and fell quickly, she seemed to be breathing heavily. She looked him in the face when he opened the door and he saw her eyes were bloodshot. Suddenly, all of his anger melted away. He felt ashamed. How could he have yelled at her like that?

"Kalea…I-"

She held up a hand to stop him. "Can I come in? Please."

He nodded, stepping to the side as she entered.

She entered his living room and asked if she could sit. Nodding his head again, Fenris sat down on the chair across from his couch.

Kalea sat on the couch and looked him in the eyes again.

"I'm sorry."

His eyes fell to the floor, once again ashamed at his behavior. Before he could respond, Kalea continued.

"I shouldn't have said what I did. I shouldn't have assumed anything Fenris. I honestly…don't know too much about you."

As she said that, Fenris came to a realization. They _didn't_know much about each other. Despite his conversations with her. Despite knowing each other for years. Despite how he felt like he had made a breakthrough with her, Fenris realized that they were honestly strangers to each other.

Sure, he knew a few things about her. Her favorite color. Things she liked to eat. But those were so superficial. He didn't _know _her as a person. They were strangers to each other.

"The strange thing about death…is that life actually does go on. When you're faced with such a tragedy, a loss so huge that you have no idea how you can live through it, somehow, the world keeps turning. Life moves on. I…wasn't ready for that. And I shouldn't have assumed anything of you. I'm so sorry. Honestly. I'm sorry."

Fenris stared at her. Her words hit him like a slap in the face. His memories were returning. His friends. His family.

"I-it's okay. I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have been so mean. I didn't mean to yell at you. I lost control of myself and that shouldn't have happened."

She shook her head. "No. It's my fault. I'm the one who started it. I'm truly sorry."

Suddenly, Faelen jumped onto the couch and started licking her face. Laughing, Fenris said, "I think Faelen wants us to stop apologizing to each other."

Smiling, Kalea patted him on the head. "Yeah. I think so too."

After Faelen stopped licking her, an awkward silence fell. Fenris realized he had never been alone with Kalea outside of the guild besides when they found each other in the park.

After another few moments, Kalea finally spoke up. "I should get going."

She stood up at the same time he did. "Kalea…I…"

He didn't know what to say.

_We're strangers, _he thought again. Would that ever change?

She smiled at him. It seemed…sad.

"I'll see you later Fenris." And she left.

As the door closed behind her, he felt as if a wall had sprung up between the two of them. He didn't know how to fix this.

He made his way back up to his room and changed. Despite the fact it was early evening, he wasn't hungry. He just wanted to go to bed.

But as he lay there, thinking about everything that happened, he became restless. Something was wrong. Things were out of line.

And then he realized what he had to do.

It was time to talk to the Master.

.

.

.

The next morning, Fenris entered the guild hall and went straight upstairs.

As he walked up the steps to the Master's office, Faelen loped up beside him. He smiled down at his friend and continued on.

As he got to the Master's door, he prepared to knock when a voice from within said, "Come on in Fenris."

He paused. Then went in. The Master was sitting at his desk, looking at some papers. He glanced up when Fenris walked in and said, "How's it going my boy? What brings you in today?"

Fenris hesitated. He looked down at Faelen, who looked up at him. And he sensed Faelen telling him to continue.

Fenris walked up to the Master and said, "Master. I need to talk to you about something. There's a reason I came to Fairy Tail all those years ago. And I need some answers."

The Master looked at him with gleaming eyes. He then motioned to the seat in front of his desk.

"Alright, ask away then."

He had never told this to anyone other than Faelen before. But he knew the Master could help. So Fenris told him his life story. From that day on Sphere Island, to the moment the Master found him in the forest. It took a while. They were sitting in his office for more than two hours before Fenris finally finished.

After he finished his story he said, "Master. I need to know who those people were. I need to know why they killed everyone I loved. I need to know what the hell they wanted!" By the end, Fenris was shouting. He hadn't meant to. He just couldn't help it.

The Master looked at him. "I know about the destruction on Sphere Island. I had heard about it shortly after it occurred from someone in the magic council. However, I did not look in to it because they told me it was just a small dark guild attacking a village, which was a fairly common thing back then. But, I will look into it now. All those years ago, I had my suspicions it may have been more. I should have payed more attention back then. I won't lie to you; it might take a while. It happened so long ago that records of it would only be with the magic council. I'm sorry about your village. I truly am. But I will help you in any way I can Fenris. That I promise."

"Thank you Master," Fenris said. He didn't really know what else to say. He got up and started to walk out.

"Fenris. I promise we will find out why this happened. I swear it," the Master called out.

"Thank you", Fenris said again. And walked out.

Outside the door, he was taken aback to see Kalea standing there. She looked worried. "…are you okay?" she said.

Fenris smiled at her. "Don't worry everything's fine," he said. He gave her an even wider grin and started to walk away. She grabbed his hand.

"Fenris…" she hesitated. Then let go.

_Strangers…_Fenris thought. That's all they were to each other. But…he wanted more than that.

"Kalea…do you want to go on a job with me?"

**Author's note:**

**Lots of stuff happening in this chapter. Lisanna's death was super sad in the series and I felt like it should play a main role in Kalea's development. And now Master knows all about Fenris' past. Although it'll be a little while until we make any headway as to what happened to him. Next chapter we finally get to see Fenris and Kalea go on their first job together!**

**Thanks for reading!**


	8. Thanksgiving Special

**Author's note:**

**Hello all! So in honor of Thanksgiving coming up in the United States, I decided to publish a special Thanksgiving chapter. Chronologically, this chapter does happen right after the previous one, but it's just a fun little fluff piece I wanted to put up in celebration of Thanksgiving. Hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. That privilege belongs to Hiro Mashima**

"Kalea…do you want to go on a job with me?"

When he saw Kalea in the hallway, his realization that there was a distance between the two of them came rushing back to him. He wanted that to change. He wanted to truly know Kalea. He wanted to actually be friends with her.

Her reaction had been one he expected.

"Wha-what?"

"Go on a job. With me. And Faelen. I…could use some money and I wanted to do a job that requested the help of two wizards. So I just figured…I could use your help."

She wrapped her arms around her waist as she looked into his eyes. Something about that look made him think she was hiding something. But he ignored it. He didn't feel he had the right to pry.

"I'll think about it." She looked as though she wanted to say more. After a few moments of silence, she turned around and walked down the stairs and out the guild.

Fenris gazed after her, hoping she would eventually say yes.

However, for the next week, both of them became so distracted that the thought of jobs and money didn't cross their mind.

It was almost Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving had always been one of Fenris' favorite Holidays manly because of the delicious food his mother used to make. From pumpkin pie to tator tot stuffing, she was the queen of cooking in his opinion. Or at least…she was.

When they died, Fenris didn't think he'd ever be able to enjoy Thanksgiving again. His family had always been the hosts when he was a child. All of his friends came to his house in the morning and they'd spend the entire day playing video games while the parents spent the day making the food. Of course, there was always time to take a break and taste test the desserts. Eventually, they would gather around in their living room to eat and enjoy each other's company.

Fenris didn't realize how much he had taken for granted when he was younger. All he ever looked forward to was the food and hanging out with everyone he loved. Now that he was older, he understood the real meaning of Thanksgiving. To appreciate all the things we have and all the people around us.

He just wished he had told his parents how much he appreciated them.

After he left Sphere Island, a few Thanksgivings came and went for him on his travels. He hadn't paid them much heed. Even when he met Sal, who had been such a kind person, he didn't celebrate it with him. Sal had invited him to his own Thanksgiving with his family, but Fenris turned him down. It only reminded him of his own family and friends.

Then he came to Fairy Tail. And through his new friends, he was able to remember what it was like to have a special Thanksgiving again. That first Thanksgiving in the guild had brought the memories of his mother back to him. Because of that, he wasn't able to fully enjoy it with everyone else.

But over time, he came to appreciate his new friends. They were his family now. He wouldn't make the same mistake he did when he was younger. He'd value them above all else. He wouldn't take anything for granted anymore.

Then came Natsu and Kalea. Natsu was the king of eating and obviously loved Thanksgiving. Since Mira was such a good cook, the food was always delicious. Fenris had to admit she could have given his mother a run for her money.

When Kalea first joined, she had been so shy she didn't join the rest of the guild during those early Thanksgivings. It had always made Fenris a little sad and he wasn't able to fully enjoy them knowing not everyone was there.

But this year was different. This year they would all be there as a family. He'd make sure of that.

A few days after he asked Kalea to go on a job, Fenris was on his way to the guild when he spotted her walking ahead of him.

Running to catch up, he shouted, "Kalea! Wait up!"

Kalea turned around and saw he and Faelen running up to her. She smiled and patted Faelen on the head when he came up to her.

"Hey Fenris. Going to the guild?"

"Yeah I wanted to go ask Mira if there was anything she wanted me to make for Thanksgiving."

"Oh…"

Kalea turned away and started walking again. Determined, Fenris went after her.

"So…are you going to join us this year?"

"I don't think so."

"Kalea come on! You've _never _been with us on Thanksgiving. Not once since you joined the guild. You _have _to! Mira is such an amazing cook. The food is always fantastic. It's one of the few times everyone is at the guild all at once. We all drink and play games. It's really fun!"

She hesitated, beginning to cast her gaze to the floor. Fenris wasn't going to let her feel down anymore though. He put a hand on her shoulder, startling her.

"Kalea. Please. Come to Thanksgiving with us. We all want you there. You're part of the Fairy Tail family and Thanksgiving is all about spending time with family. Please come." He hesitated before adding, "For me."

She watched him for a few moments before sighing. "Okay…I guess I can come. But I really can't cook for the life of me so d-"

"Not a problem! Mira never lets anyone do the cooking anyway. I only ask every year just to be nice. If she ever actually said yes we'd be screwed cause I can't cook either."

Kalea smiled at that. Seeing as her smiles were always so scarce, Fenris realized that was one of the things he appreciated about her. Those smiles.

He gave her a grin and they started walking again.

When they arrived at the guild, they found it bustling with excitement. Since Thanksgiving was only a few days away, everyone was trying their best to help out.

Mira was working her butt off in the kitchen, a large group of people were running around putting decorations up around the guildhall, Elfman and Natsu were bringing in huge stacks of hay and gigantic pumpkins.

Fenris took in the smell of pumpkin spice and caramel apples and sighed. He really loved this time of year.

Kalea's eyes were wide as she gazed around at all the hustle and bustle.

"Wow. Everyone really works hard for this don't they?"

Fenris nodded. "Yeah. But it's like this with every Holiday. Just wait for Christmas. This is a side show compared to that."

Fenris spotted Mira running out of the kitchen and, wanting to get his obligatory question out of the way, told Kalea he'd be right back.

He left her with Faelen and ran over to Mira.

"Mira! Wait up!"

Not breaking her stride, Mira called after Fenris, "Keep up with me Fen! I got a lot going on right now."

Matching her pace, Fenris asked, "Do you want me to bring any food for Thanksgiving Mira? A dessert or something?"

Mira simply smiled at him and gave him exactly the answer he hoped for. "Don't worry Fenris. I have the food all planned out. Why don't you help Elfman and Natsu bring in the hay and pumpkins? There are some pretty big ones they might need an extra hand with."

She was about to turn away when she spotted Kalea and came to an abrupt halt.

"Is Kalea coming to Thanksgiving?" she asked him.

Fenris cracked a wide grin and nodded. "Yeah I managed to convince her this year. She was going to ditch us again but thankfully she's coming."

Mira clapped her hands and jumped up and down. "Oh yay! I'm so happy she's finally joining us! Fenris thank you so much! I've always wanted her to join us during big events like this but she never does. I've tried to convince her but I'm just not as close to her as you are."

Fenris' smiled faded a little. He thought back to their fight and his realization.

_We really aren't as close as you think Mira…_

Not wanting to spoil the festive mood, Fenris changed the subject.

"Well, if you need any extra help just let me know! I'm gonna go see what Kalea wants to help with then I'll go help Elfman and Natsu."

Before he could leave, Mira grabbed his arm and held him in place. "Fenris, really. Thank you for helping Kalea. I know she means a lot to you. And I know you mean a lot to her. She deserves to be happy. We all do. And being together with family makes me so happy. So thank you again Fenris."

She gave him a warm smile and returned to the kitchen. That's what he appreciated most about Mira. She cared about all of them. And would do anything to make everyone happy.

Making his way back to Kalea, he noticed Cana was talking with her.

Seeing Fenris, Cana swung an arm around Kalea and said, "Hey there Fen! I was just talking to Kalea here and she said you convinced her to finally join us for Thanksgiving!"

Shrugging, Fenris said, "I guess I did."

Giving Kalea a little shake, Cana continued.

"Well I was just telling Kalea about all the fun stuff we're gonna be doing on Thanksgiving!" She gave him a sly wink.

"Cana w-"

"Relaaaaax," said Cana as she turned with Kalea. They started walking over to where everyone was decorating the guildhall.

Looking back at him, Cana said, "I'll take good care of Kalea now don't you worry. Go do some manly stuff with Elfman or something."

Kalea looked back at him and shrugged slightly, as if to say what could she do.

Sighing, Fenris watched her and Cana start chatting with Levy. Kalea was smiling at them, finally participating in their conversations.

Relived, Fenris turned back towards the front door to go meet Elfman and Natsu, Faelen in tow. That's what he appreciated about Cana. Despite her persona of making mischief, she always had the best intentions.

At least he thought she did.

Making his way outside, Fenris spotted an enormous pile of pumpkins and hay bales near the side of the guild. Sensing Faelen's excitement about jumping in hay, Fenris said, "Oh no. You can't be jumping in the hay right now buddy. Wait until after Thanksgiving is over then I'll make sure to save some for you."

Slightly disappointed, Faelen ran ahead of him, seeing Happy with Natsu.

Spotting Faelen, Happy flew over to him and plopped himself on his back, digging his claws into the giant wolf's fur. Faelen never seemed to mind this.

Catching up, Fenris thought of something.

"Hey Happy?"

Chewing on a fish he took from his bag, Happy said, "Hm?"

"How come you aren't afraid of Faelen? You're afraid of every other dog out there. Even dogs that are smaller than you. And Faelen…is a pretty big dog."

Happy looked down at Faelen who was chewing on a stick he procured out of nowhere.

"I dunno. Faelen is my friend! He's not really a dog."

Curious, Fenris watched the two of them. "Sooooo, it's kinda like how you and Natsu are? Like Natsu can't ride on any vehicle but he can fly around with you no problem. He told me he doesn't view you as a vehicle so that's why."

Happy gave him a thoughtful expression as he seemed to be mulling it over. Moments later, he shrugged and said, "I guess? I don't really think about it."

He went back to chewing on his fish and chatting with Faelen.

Rolling his eyes, Fenris walked over to where Natsu and Elfman seemed to be arguing over something.

"I wanna bring this one in!" shouted Natsu.

He was pointing at the largest pumpkin Fenris had ever seen. It had to be over 200 pounds. Fenris had no idea how they would even fit in the front door.

"It's too manly for you! I'm the man around here and I'm gonna bring it in," said Elfman.

Sensing a fight about to happen, and not wanting Natsu to ruin the pumpkins, Fenris stepped in.

"How about the three of us bring this in together? It's gonna take some weird maneuvering to get it in the front door."

They both whirled around and stared at him.

"When the heck did you get here?" asked Natsu.

Eye twitching a little, Fenris said, "Just now. Mira asked me to help you guys out."

"My sister is so manly!"

"Uh huh…anyway seriously this thing is gigantic. I don't even know if it's gonna fit in the front door."

Smiling Natsu patted the pumpkin.

"Oh it's gonna fit. Just you wait."

Wanting to see how Natsu would fit this in the door, Fenris went on, "Alright so why don't the three of us bring it over then Natsu can explain his ingenious plan for getting it through the door."

Not sensing his sarcasm, Natsu simply nodded and rolled back his sleeves.

Before they picked it up, Fenris thought of something. "Hey where's Gray? Shouldn't he be helping?"

Natsu frowned and crossed his arms. "Popsicle is late on some job he went on. He probably won't be getting back until Thanksgiving morning according to Mira."

As much as he couldn't stand Gray sometimes, he hoped he'd be back in time. Fenris wanted everyone to be there this year. Especially since he managed to convince Kalea to come.

"On the count of three," said Elfman.

"One."

Fenris crouched down to get a hold on the pumpkin.

"Two."

He gripped it as hard as he could.

"Three!"

Fenris lifted at the same time as Natsu and Elfman. Despite the trio's strength, Fenris had to admit this was a heavy pumpkin. He doubted he could've lifted it by himself.

Slowly, they made their way to the front door and set it down in front of it.

"Alright Natsu, what's your great plan?"

Rolling his shoulders, Natsu smiled and lit his hands on fire.

"_This!_"

Before Fenris could stop him, Natsu ripped the doors completely off their hinges. They took part of the wall with them, creating a space just wide enough for the pumpkin to squeeze through.

Fenris and Elfman both sweat dropped.

Before they could say anything, a harsh voice rang in their ears.

"NATSUUUUUUU!"

Flinching, Fenris saw Erza storm up to them. A look of pure evil on her face.

Natsu obviously didn't realize Erza had been there based on the look on his face.

"We have Thanksgiving coming up in just THREE days and look what you've done?!" she began shouting at him.

Looking like a scared puppy, Natsu said, "But we needed to get the giant pumpkin in and this was the only way…"

"Was it the _only _way or just the first thing that popped into your head?!"

"…the first thing."

Erza began berating Natsu in front of the entire guild, making everyone laugh. Fenris spotted Kalea, who was laughing along with everyone else. That was one of the things he appreciated about Natsu. He always had a way of bringing everyone together. Even if it was at his own expense.

Fenris and Elfman spent the next few hours bringing in the rest of the pumpkins and hay while Natsu was forced to fix the doors to the guild. Luckily, he hadn't destroyed the hinges when taking the doors off so they'd be fixed in time for Thanksgiving.

Considering this would take him up until Thanksgiving morning to fix, since Erza insisted he do it all by himself, it left Fenris and Elfman to take care of the rest of the pumpkins and hay. They finished that evening and Elfman bid Fenris a goodnight. He was going to go help Mira with her cooking. He was the only person she'd allow enter the kitchen during the Holidays. Elfman told him he needed to make sure Mira took breaks during the Holidays or she'd run herself into the ground.

That was one of the things he appreciated about Elfman. Despite always talking about manly things, deep down he was as lovable as they came.

The next few days flew by for Fenris. He spent most of his time either decorating with Kalea or lugging things in with Elfman. Natsu was still fixing the door.

Before he knew it, Thanksgiving had arrived.

Fenris made his downstairs in the morning, excitement coursing through him. Whenever the entire guild got together, it was always a recipe for disaster. But it was always unforgettable.

When he opened the door, he was greeted with someone he hadn't quite expected to see yet.

Kalea.

She was holding a large bag behind her back and was staring awkwardly at the ground. One hand was raised, as if she was about to knock on his door.

Seeing him, she stood there, her hand still raised in the air. He laughed and waved at her.

"Hey there."

Seeming to realize her hand was still in the air, Kalea unclenched her fist and waved back at him.

"…hi."

"What's in the bag?" he asked her.

Despite the size of the bag, Kalea shifted it as if to hide it from view. "N-nothing. I was on my way to the guild and just thought I'd see if you already left."

"Faelen and I were just about to leave actually. Wanna join us?"

She nodded and they left together, Faelen running around them, more excited than anyone. He always got food under the table during Thanksgiving. Everyone thought they were sneaky in trying to give him extra food so he ended up eating more than anyone else.

Kalea walked in silence on their way. Fenris tried thinking of something to say but couldn't for some reason. They had walked together before. Why was it so awkward now?

The silence made it seem like it took forever for them to reach the guild, but it only took them about 10 minutes to get there.

Wanting her first Thanksgiving with the guild to be a good one, Fenris stopped her before entering.

"Kalea…thanks for coming today. I really am happy you're joining us. It's just not the same if everyone isn't here."

Kalea didn't respond but she did give him a brief smile.

Fenris opened the doors and the trio walked in. Immediately, they were hit in the face with the most amazing smells. And through Faelen, Fenris could feel himself being overloaded with everything. Although Faelen was used to his powerful nose, Fenris found it a bit overwhelming. He closed himself off to that part of their connection for the day so he didn't go crazy.

As they walked in, Levy came running up to them, shrieking with joy at the sight of Kalea.

"You really did come!" shouted Levy.

"Of course! I did say I was going to."

Giggling some more, Levy took her arm and dragged her away to one of the highly decorated tables. Leaving Kalea with the group, Levy came running back to Fenris.

"Fenris, thanks so much for helping bring Kalea along. She really deserves to be happy, I'm just glad someone is able to give her a little bit of joy."

Giving him a wide smile, she waved and took off back to Kalea. That was one of the things Fenris appreciated about her. Her sincerity.

Fenris made his way to another table where Natsu, Elfman, Cana, Macao, Wacaba, and many others were sitting and laughing with each other.

Fenris squeezed himself next to Natsu and Cana and took the drink Cana offered him.

"Is Gray not here yet?" he asked Natsu.

"No. And that damn ice freak better get here soon. We can't start the fun until everyone arrives!"

Laughing, Fenris gazed around the room at everyone. Other than Gray, it looked like everyone had arrived already. From Nab to Max, Warren to Reedus, Fenris saw everyone enjoying themselves.

The only people missing were Gildarts, the Thunder Legion, and Mystogan. Gildarts and Mystogan rarely stopped by the guild so there was no surprise there. And the Thunder Legion thought themselves better than anyone else so they never showed up to guild gatherings.

Once Gray arrived, the fun could finally begin. And just as Fenris was thinking this, the guild doors burst open, signaling the arrival of their final guests.

Everyone shouted and cheered and Gray entered. Gray smirked and waved a hand in response.

He made his way to their table and sat beside Elfman. Cana, always ready with a drink, handed him a mug.

Then the party began.

It was a whirlwind of a day for Fenris.

Right when Gray sat down and was handed a mug, Cana challenged him to a drinking contest. Although this time it was in front of the entire guild. Not wanting to look like a wimp, Fenris reluctantly accepted her challenge.

Ten minutes later, he was laying on the floor, Cana with one foot on his chest celebrating her victory as the guild cheered her on.

She went on to challenge Natsu and Gray, who both ended up lying face down next to Fenris on the floor. Nobody could beat Cana when it came to drinking.

Once he finally recovered, Fenris went over to Kalea's table where they were playing a round of Thanksgiving charades, with Master Makarov as the host. Not wanting to join in the middle of a round, Fenris sat next to Kalea and decided he'd join forces with her.

Kalea watched him as he sat down and handed her card over.

"I'm not very good at this game."

Laughing, Fenris said, "How about I join your team? I'm not bad."

Faelen bounded up and jumped onto the table, making everyone around them cheer his name.

Smiling, Kalea nodded. "Alright. Let's see how 'not bad' you are."

Eyes widening, Fenris gave her a smirk. "Was that sarcasm I just sensed?"

Rolling her eyes, Kalea said, "I guess you'll never know."

Fenris looked over at Master Makarov, who was crouched on top of the table with his arms tucked under himself. He started clucking and Fenris knew at once what he was.

Jumping up, he shouted, "TURKEY!"

Master Makarov shouted and pointed at Fenris, awarding him the points. Levy gave him a scowl and everyone reset for the next round.

"See? Told you I was good."

A half hour later, Fenris and Kalea were declared the winners of Thanksgiving charades. Their prize? A delicious pumpkin pie made specially for this game.

Mira handed him the pie, congratulating him on the win. Although pumpkin pie was his favorite Thanksgiving dessert, Fenris handed it over to Kalea.

Giving him a questioning look, Fenris said, "I wanna save myself for later. There's gonna be a _ton _of food and I don't want to pig out just yet."

Kalea looked down at the pie, then back up at Fenris. He saw her eyes start to shine, but she didn't let any tears fall.

"Thank you Fenris."

He simply smiled at her.

The morning wore on with more games and drinking, laughing and shouting. Natsu almost started a fight but Erza managed to stop him just in time.

"Natsu, Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate with one's friends and family. _Not _to start fights with them. We must show everyone how much we love and cherish each other's company. That is what it means to be a family."

That was one of the things he appreciated about Erza. She was always so dedicated to her family.

Later that evening, it was time to eat. Everyone settled down at a table, Fenris placing himself next to Master Makarov and Kalea, and Mira began bringing out the food. Elfman helped her with the plates and soon enough there were mountains of food on every table.

From turkey to stuffing, mashed potatoes to dinner rolls, pumpkin cheesecake to chocolate pecan pie, Fenris couldn't see an end to it.

Piling his plate with food, Fenris stuffed his mouth for the next two hours. From the pleasant conversations to the delicious food, time flew by. Soon enough it was time to move on to the dessert.

Shoveling more food onto his plate, Fenris also took a few pieces and fed them to Faelen, who looked like he was going to explode. He had been running around the room to different people who didn't hesitate to hand him some of their own food. He definitely wouldn't be getting up tomorrow.

Taking a bite out of a pumpkin tart, Fenris sighed, savoring the delicious dessert.

Next to him, Kalea was also eating a piece of tart. She hadn't stuffed her mouth as much as him, but Fenris was still surprised at how much she had eaten.

"Hey Kalea?"

He had caught her in the middle of a bite as she turned to him. Covering her mouth, she said, "Hm?"

"What were your Thanksgivings like at home?"

Swallowing, Kalea watched him for a few moments, her smile fading slightly.

"…different."

Curious, Fenris was about to ask more when Master Makarov interrupted them.

"Kalea my dear, why don't you try this pumpkin pie bar. I think this has to be the best dessert out here by far!"

Kalea hesitated before taking the proffered piece. She took a bite and, moments later, sighed in content.

"That _is _good."

Master Makarov gave her a warm smile. "I'm very happy you've decided to join us this year Kalea. It warms my heart to see my children happy and healthy. We've all been through much in our lives. That's one of the reasons I love Thanksgiving so much. It allows us to sit back and take stock on life. To truly appreciate the things we have. The people we love. Appreciation is such a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others, belong to us as well."

Kalea looked fondly at Master Makarov. That was one of the things Fenris appreciated about the Master. He always knew what to say, and when to say it.

A few hours later, stomach stuffed to bursting, Fenris sat in his seat, watching other members move tables out of the way. After dinner every year, the entire guild would sit down together to watch a Holiday movie together. Since it was hard to find a movie specifically about Thanksgiving, they made due with moves centered around the Holidays. Mira would set up the lacrima projector to play on the wall and everyone would gather round.

This year it was a movie called Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. Fenris had never seen it, but based on the title, he had a feelings Natsu would hate it.

As the movie played, everyone laughed along with it. It was a really good one. Elfman had brought out large bean bag chairs in place of the tables and everyone was sitting around the floor enjoying the movie together.

Fenris sat on a large bean bag with Faelen sprawled out on his lap, knocked out from the food he ate. As Fenris watched his best friend, he scratched his chin, causing Faelen to wake up. Faelen licked his cheek and Fenris could feel his happiness at how close the two were. That was what Fenris appreciate most about Faelen. His companionship.

Fenris glanced over and saw Kalea sitting next to him on a separate chair, laughing at something that just happened in the movie.

Fenris watched her laugh and couldn't help but smile to himself. She seemed truly happy for once.

"Hey Kalea?"

She looked over at him, still giggling.

"Yeah?"

"Happy Thanksgiving."

She hesitated before giving him such a warm smile, he felt as if the world had melted around them.

"Happy Thanksgiving Fenris."

**Author's note:**

**There we go! Again I hope you enjoyed the little Holiday special. I'm thinking of doing a Christmas special as well so let me know if you'd enjoy that. Next chapter we'll start Fenris and Kalea's first job together! Now because of Thanksgiving, I'll be pretty busy next week so will most likely not have another chapter up. If I don't, I'll see you all next time with a new chapter.**

**Signing off.**


	9. Chapter 7

**Author's note:**

**And we're back! Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving for those who celebrate it. In this chapter, Fenris and Kalea go off on their first job! There are some parts in this that I struggled with while writing, but I'll talk about that later so I don't give anything away. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. That privilege belongs to Hiro Mashima**

After Thanksgiving was over, things went back to normal around the guild. Fenris remembered his determination to take Kalea on a job and made that his number one priority.

However, it took a while to convince her. A few days after Thanksgiving, he found her sitting by herself in the guild hall. She was staring at her food, loosely holding her fork in one hand.

He hesitantly walked over and pulled out a chair, the noise startling her.

"Sorry about that," he said, sitting down across from her.

She didn't answer, just going back to playing with her food.

"Have you thought more about my proposition?" he asked.

"Yes…I'm not sure. I've never been on a mission with someone else. I've never even been on a mission outside of Magnolia."

He nodded. He hadn't been outside of Magnolia on a job until a few months ago. "I understand. I know this kind of came up out of the blue. I just thought…some people have formed teams here and they seem to get jobs done quicker."

She didn't answer.

"Well…it's just a thought. You don't have to go with me. Just…let me know when you do make a decision."

He didn't push her on the subject after this. He found it was better to leave Kalea to her thoughts most times.

A few weeks after his initial question though, she finally conceded.

"I do have rent coming up too I suppose," she told him one morning.

He had been eating breakfast with Faelen when she silently walked up to him, startling him so much he dropped his fork.

Looking up, it took him a few moments before he realized what she was talking about.

"Hm? Oh! Great!"

"So you said you had a specific job in mind?"

"Oh! Uh-yeah! Yeah let me go grab the request from the board."

_Crap, _he thought.

He had no idea which job they could go on. He had asked her without actually having any job in mind.

Quickly going over to the job board, Fenris scanned for something that would work. Finally, he found one that would work. It was your average, beat-up-the-villain-who-is-bothering-the-town, type of mission. It was worth 1000 Jewel, which would help him pay for rent this month and would be enough for food. Perfect.

Going back to Kalea, he handed her the flyer.

"This is it! Pretty straight forward and it'll be enough for my rent even with just half the money. Will this work for your rent?"

She scanned the flyer. "Yeah. This will work."

"Great! I'll go get it approved and we can head out after. Why don't you go get ready and we can meet at the train station in two hours?"

She nodded and headed home.

Fenris looked at Faelen. "This is going to be so awkward isn't it."

Faelen barked.

Two hours later they were on the train on their way to the town of Cedar. It was about a 4-hour ride to the town so Fenris decided he'd take a nap. There was nothing else to do so why not?

Faelen lay down by his feet and drifted off to sleep and Kalea was in the seat across from him, staring out the window. He watched her for a few minutes until she noticed him. She looked at him, he smiled back at her. She didn't return the smile, instead turning to look out the window again.

Sighing, he laid across the seat and closed his eyes. Soon he drifted into a peaceful slumber.

A sudden bump from the train woke Fenris up. He didn't know how long he had been asleep but he figured it was at least an hour or two. He was pretty groggy as he lifted one eye. He saw Faelen still asleep on the floor then glanced up. Kalea was still staring out the window. He couldn't see her face but then a flash in the window caught his eye.

He looked at the window and realized he could see her reflection. And on her cheek, there was a tear. She was crying.

His chest constricted. He noticed this only seemed to happen around Kalea. He was about to get up and ask her why she was crying when a growl came from Faelen. It startled Kalea and she quickly looked down at the wolf.

Fenris pretended it had just woke him up and he got up and looked down at Faelen. The wolf was growling and moving his legs as if he was having a bad dream. Kalea got down on the floor and started stroking his fur until he calmed down a few minutes later.

She smiled at him. Fenris' heart hurt again. Kalea got back into her seat and gazed out the window again. Fenris looked back down at Faelen. What had just transpired wouldn't have been that big a deal if he hadn't known that Faelen wasn't actually asleep.

An hour later, the train arrived at Cedar. The trio got off the train and headed into town.

"So where to first?" asked Kalea.

Fenris looked at the flyer.

"Ummmm well I figured we should go talk to the client about the job. This isn't supposed to be a huge job. It should just be the normal, we beat up some guy who's harassing the town, type of job and that's all.

"Where can we find the client?" asked Kalea.

"I think we'll find him in some restaurant called The Golden Dragon. He's the owner."

They walked off in search of this restaurant.

About a half hour later they finally found it near the docks. They walked into the restaurant and Fenris walked over to the bar. "Excuse me. Do you know if the owner is in today?" he asked.

The barkeep eyed him up and down then noticed Kalea walk up next to him.

"Ahhhhh well who might this be? I've never seen you in town before pretty lady. Care for a drink?" the barkeep asked. Completely ignoring Fenris' question.

This ticked him off. The barkeep put one elbow on the table and rested his chin in his hand, eyeing Kalea some more.

Behind his back, Fenris waved his hand to the right, and the barkeep's elbow jerked the same way. This caused the barkeep to lose his balance and slam his head on the table.

He smirked as the barkeep groaned, massaging the growing bruise on his forehead.

He stared around, trying to figure out what had caused his arm to move like that. When it was obvious he couldn't figure it out he straightened his shirt out and said, "Ahem, Can is upstairs. Just go up the stairs and his door is right there. Get out of here before you piss me off some more."

Fenris smirked and walked away. Kalea walked up next to him and said, "That wasn't necessary."

"He was a little rude. I just wanted to knock some sense in him," grinned Fenris.

She didn't respond.

Once they reached the only door to the first floor, Fenris knocked.

"Come in, come in!" said a deep voice behind the door.

Fenris opened the door and they stepped inside. They entered a big office with shelves lining all the walls. Books covering them all.

"Levy would love this place," muttered Kalea. Fenris laughed quietly to that and agreed.

As they walked over to the large desk in the middle, Fenris took note of the client. He was a middle aged man. He had grey hair and was rather large around the middle. He was wearing very nice clothes that were all sorts of bright colors from red to orange to blue to green.

He indicated the seats in front of him and said, "Hello my name is Can Ozbey. How may I help you young folks today?"

"My name is Fenris Ward and I'm here from the Fairy Tail guild. We're responding to your notice you left in our guild."

"Ahhhhh of course! I didn't think anyone would respond so quickly. But I'm glad you did! So. Here's the situation then. There have been some robberies lately in the town. Now, this isn't really that out of the ordinary. Things like this happen here and there. But the strange part is that whoever it is never leaves any sort of trace. There is never any sign of a break in or out. And they never seem to leave any fingerprints of any kind. The police can't get heads or tails out of it. The reason I put up the notice myself is that I was the last one robbed. They stole all the money from my safe! I couldn't understand how they could get in. It is actually hidden and locked by magic. Based on that, I am under the impression that a mage is the thief in question. I need you to help me catch this thief and return my money. Along with everything else he has stolen. Can you do this?"

Fenris listened intently to the story. From what he could tell, it was definitely a mage. Nobody else could do all that without leaving a trace.

"Yes of course we'll help," he said. Can smiled at him.

"Good, good! Thank you so very much! In that case, shall I take you to my safe so you can take a look around?"

"Sure," said Fenris.

Can got up and walked over to one of his shelves. He pulled out a book, which caused the shelf to open up, revealing a hidden room. Can opened the book he had picked out and recited some kind of spell from it under his breath.

Fenris saw the air around the hidden room shimmer as Can entered the room reciting his spell. After a few more minutes, he indicated they could also enter.

As Fenris and the others followed, Can said, "That book was given to me by a friend of mine who happens to be a mage. I can't use magic myself but the book allows me to cast minimum protection spells which I used to protect my safe. Or I thought it was protected at least."

Fenris spotted a large safe on the other side of the room. Can walked up to it and muttered another spell under his breath, causing the safe to open. There was nothing inside.

"Feel free to have a look around. Once you've finished your search just let me know so I can lock up," Can said. He left the room, allowing them to start their search.

"Alright let's look around I guess. Hopefully we can figure something out," said Fenris.

They split up and began searching. After about an hour of searching the entire room Fenris was getting nowhere. No matter where he looked, he couldn't find any type of clue.

Suddenly Faelen barked. Fenris jerked his head up and spotted the wolf near a bookcase right next to the safe. Fenris and Kalea ran over and got on their knees to get level with Faelen.

"What is it? What did you find?" asked Fenris. Faelen put his nose to the floor right next to the bookcase. Right where his nose was, so small that it was barely even visible, was a hair. There was no way Fenris could have spotted that. Then he realized he could have enhanced his sight using his powers. _I'm an idiot. Thank god I have Faelen or I probably would never have found it._

Kalea picked up the hair. "Faelen, do you think you can sniff out the guy using this hair?" she asked. Faelen started sniffing the hair. Then he started sniffing the air. His ears perked up and he started barking.

He started running out the door when Fenris shouted, "Wait Faelen! It's starting to get dark. Why don't we find a place to sleep tonight then go out tomorrow? Who knows how long it may take to find this guy."

Kalea and Faelen both agreed. So they told Can what they had found and their plans for tomorrow. He was ecstatic they had a clue and bid them good luck for the next day. He provided them with an address of where they could stay at a local inn and told them he would pay for it. Fenris protested but he was so insistent that eventually they conceded.

As they got their room for the night, Fenris noticed something. There was only one bed. _Damn it. I was really hoping I'd get a good night's rest before tomorrow, _he thought.

He threw his pack on the couch and went into the bathroom to get ready for bed. When he got out, Kalea was sitting on the couch, reading a book.

Fenris hesitated, not sure how to approach this.

"Um…Kalea?"

She looked up from her book.

"Why don't you use the bed? That couch doesn't look too comfortable. I can take it."

She shook her head. "It's fine. I'm used to worse."

He hesitated, not sure what that could have meant.

"I'm not gonna take no for an answer Kalea. I'll just sleep on the floor and Faelen can have the bed if you don't take it."

Faelen happily barked at that and jumped onto the bed, wagging his tail.

Fenris shot him a look.

She shook her head again. "No I real-"

"Kalea." He cut her off.

"Please just take the bed. We have a long day tomorrow and we need to get some rest. If you really want, we can swap tomorrow and you can have the couch then."

She looked at him for a moment, and then nodded. "Okay. Unless Faelen really wan-"

Faelen jumped off the bed and sat next to it, wagging his tail.

Fenris smiled. "There ya go!"

Kalea entered the bathroom to get changed. While she was in there, Fenris hopped onto the couch and pulled his blanket over him.

As he settled down, Faelen jumped on top of him. "OOMFFFF, FAELEN GET OFF THIS IS WAY TOO SMALL!" he yelled at Faelen. Too late. He was already fast asleep and wasn't going anywhere.

Fenris sighed.

This would be a long night.

At one point during the night Fenris woke up to a small noise somewhere in the room. He couldn't really tell what it was so he enhanced his hearing using his powers. Then he heard it. It was his name. And it was Kalea's voice. He looked over at her in the bed. There was no doubt about it. She had muttered his name.

He wondered why. He also wondered why it made him a little happy to hear her say it.

.

.

.

The next morning, they were out in the street following Faelen. Faelen was sniffing the air, following the scent from the hair they had found yesterday.

As they walked, Fenris thought about last night. He was sure he had heard her mutter his name. His heart fluttered again at the thought.

He glanced at Kalea. She didn't seem any different today. Just as quiet.

"How'd you sleep last night?" he asked. He hadn't meant to. The question forced itself out of him before he realized what he was saying.

He saw her flinch. The tiniest movement. But it was definitely a reaction.

"Fine…how did you sleep?"

"Not bad. Faelen took up most of the couch," he said, giving the big wolf a playful shove.

Faelen barked happily.

She didn't say anything after that.

_We used to be able to have a conversation at least…are things that different now?_

It seemed as if he hadn't imagined it when he thought a wall had been built between the two of them.

They walked through the street in silence, following Faelen. As he thought about how they would capture him, he realized something.

"Hey Kalea?" he asked.

"Hmm," she responded.

"I just realized I have actually never seen you use magic. We'll probably have to fight this thief if we find him. It'd be good to know how our magic works together," he said.

She didn't respond at first, and then said, "You're probably right."

She stopped walking, catching Fenris off guard. Turned to face him, she touched his chest with her right hand. Fenris stood still, shocked for a moment. After a few seconds she removed her hand. Then she stood a few paces back from him.

She lifted her hand, and pushed it towards him. Fenris was shoved back a few feet by the sudden energy that she expelled at him. He was dumbstruck.

"Wha-what the hell was that?! Tha-that was my magic!" he exclaimed.

"Creation Magic. That's my magic," she said.

"Anyone I come into contact with, I can take their powers. I am then able to freely use their magical abilities as much as I wish. The amount of power I take is halved in comparison to the user though. So it isn't as strong as that person. But the more magic I take, the more I can create. I can combine different types of magic to combine them into even more powerful spells."

"Th-that's AWESOME!" Fenris shouted. Kalea looked taken aback. She looked away.

"Ye-yeah. I guess it is."

This new discovery kept Fenris occupied for a while until he realized they had exited the town and entered the forest that lay next to it. After another few hours of walking, Faelen stopped abruptly.

His body went rigid. Sensing what was happening through Faelen, Fenris shot a hand out to stop Kalea. Someone was coming. Running at them. Fenris shouted, "DUCK!"

He shoved Kalea down. A second later, an arrow shot right above them, where they had just stood. Fenris sprang back up and whirled around. A figure in a dark cloak was standing in the trees. A bow pointing in their direction.

Fenris knew the bow was magic. He could sense the energy radiating from it. And right as he was about to counter attack, Faelen jumped on him, knocking him down. The same arrow from before whizzed above them, and went straight back to the cloaked figure. He/she snatched the arrow in midair and nocked it again.

Fenris could hear the figure laughing, it had to be a man from that deep voice, as he drew back the bow and shot. This time Fenris was prepared. Channeling the energy through both hands, he clasped them together and swung them like a bat. The magic burst forth and followed his movements, knocking the arrow aside. The man stopped laughing and scowled. Suddenly, Kalea ran past Fenris towards the man.

Fenris shouted, "Wait Kalea!"

She wasn't listening. The man pulled another arrow from his cloak but before he could knock it, Kalea was already upon him.

_Wow…she's fast, _he thought.

Kalea swung her arm back and punched the man in the head, knocking him back a dozen yards into the tree. The man sat there dazed, as she ran at him again. Right as she got to him, she swung her leg back and prepared to kick him but he caught her foot.

Using her momentum, she used his face as a spring board with her other foot and jumped. This happened so quickly, the man lost his grip and she summersaulted away from him.

The man quickly nocked another arrow and shot at her. The arrow burst into flame as it shot towards her.

Thrusting out one hand, she shot her own jet of flame at the arrow, burning it to a crisp.

_How the hell did she…_then he remembered her powers. She must've taken Natsu's flames at some point. Now that he thought about it, if it was him, he would've taken everyone's powers at some point. It was the smart thing to do. The more powers she had, the more she could manipulate and combine them.

She was…incredible. And as he was thinking all of this, he realized he was sitting there doing nothing. But before he could react, the man had shot another arrow at her. This one moved so quickly he barely had time to see it.

As it shot towards her, it exploded, sending shrapnel everywhere. He watched in horror as the explosion sent her flying. Her skin was being ripped through by the shrapnel, her clothes were torn.

She landed hard against a tree. Her head smashed into it and her body went limp. Fenris saw blood spill down her face from several cuts.

Fenris sprung to his feet and ran as fast as he could to her. He was still 50 yards away when the man walked up to her, bow strung. He aimed straight for her heart.

25 yards.

By then the man's cloak had fallen off his head and Fenris could see his face.

20 yards.

He had tanned skin, a huge scar across his right eye.

15 yards.

His hair was dark brown along with his eyes.

10 yards.

His nose was hooked and he had a thick beard.

5 yards.

The man looked back at Fenris and smiled. The most cynical smile Fenris had ever seen. Still smiling at Fenris, he turned his head towards Kalea and pulled back the bow... and fired.

**Author's note:**

**I love me some cliffhangers. Hopefully you all do too. Now, like I said earlier, I did struggle with some parts of this. I don't have a lot of confidence in writing fighting scenes so I do apologize if that part was a little lackluster. If anyone has any suggestions, I am more than happy to hear them. Next chapter, we'll continue with the job! **

**See you later!**


	10. Chapter 8

**Author's note:**

**Hello! Here we go with part two of their mission. Last chapter we left on a big cliffhanger. There's some revealing scenes coming up that will reveal even more about Kalea's past. Hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. That privilege belongs to Hiro Mashima**

Time seemed to slow for Fenris. He watched as the fingers slowly released the string. The twang of the bow seemed to be the only sound in the forest.

He knew he wouldn't make it, so he did the only thing he could think of.

He screamed.

"NOOOOO!"

The force of his scream was so loud, so intense, and so full of hatred for the man, that it knocked him off balance. His shot missed Kalea by a hair's breadth, and allowed Fenris to reach him. He pulled back his arm, channeled as much magical power into his fist as he could, and punched him. His fist collided with the man's face and Fenris felt the bones in his nose break.

The force of the punch was so powerful; the man was blown over a hundred yards away. He watched as the man hit the ground, then lay still.

Fenris turned back to Kalea. Her face was covered in blood from her wound. Her body looked cut to pieces. He could see where her head had hit the tree. A huge gash lay on the top of her head.

Fenris panicked. He didn't know any healing magic. He picked Kalea up and said, "Faelen, you need to stay here and watch that guy. I'll be back."

He sprinted away before Faelen could acknowledge him. He knew if he didn't get her treated soon, her head injury would only get worse. And her body was full of cuts. She would bleed out soon.

He sprinted as fast as he could back to the town, using his magic to go faster than he ever ran before.

They had gone deep into the woods and, although he was using his magic, it still took him over an hour to reach the town. He ran through the streets, screaming for help. People looked at him with wondering eyes, but nobody would help!

Just as he was beginning to lose hope, someone from behind him yelled, "Wait, over here! I can help!"

Fenris turned around and saw a man run out from a house. He waved him over and Fenris ran to him.

"Take her inside, I can heal her."

Fenris didn't even question it. He went inside and found he was in a room that looked very similar to a hospital room. In the corner was a bed.

"Lay her over there," said the man.

Fenris gently put her down on the bed. The man came over with a tube of some kind. He squeezed a blue cream out of it and proceeded to gently wipe it on Kalea's wound. Fenris could only stare.

His only thought was, _Please let her be safe, please let her be safe. _

"Her entire upper body is full of cuts. We'll need to remove these clothes to reach the rest. I assume she is with you? Would you like to remove them?"

Slightly taken aback, Fenris looked at Kalea. Right now, her health was more important than his wariness over undressing her.

He nodded.

Ever so gently, he sat next to her and removed her shirt. He stared at the wall as he did so, making it slightly difficult. However, it was mostly torn up and it didn't take long for it to come off. His finger lightly rubbed against something soft and he felt his cheeks burn.

Remembering why he was doing so, he persevered and lay her down on her back. She hadn't moved an inch during all of this.

The man continued rubbing the blue cream on her wounds. "Okay, we'll need to turn her on her stomach so we can reach the wounds on her back."

Fenris gently turned her around and lay her down. His eyes roamed her back and he gasped.

All along her back were large, jagged scars. There had to be hundreds of them. They glistened white and the skin around them was slightly discolored, suggesting they had never healed properly.

The man stared at them. "I…assume this is not from her recent attack?"

"N-no…I don't know where this is from."

He looked up at the man. "Please. If she wakes up don't tell her we saw this. I…don't think she wants anyone to know."

He nodded but said, "It's going to be hard to pretend we didn't see it. Her shirt is torn to pieces."

"I'll think of something. Just please don't say anything."

He nodded again.

After a few more minutes of rubbing, he took his hand away and took a few steps back. "The cream should take effect in a few minutes. I have some blankets over here for you to cover her up. Just let me know when you're finished."

He left the room, leaving Fenris to stare at Kalea's back.

What kind of person could have done this to her? What had she gone through to deserve these injuries? It was no wonder she acted the way she did.

Shaking his head, Fenris grabbed one of the blankets from beside the table and wrapped it around Kalea. He turned her around so she was lying face up. He had to make sure she didn't suspect they had seen her back. He didn't want to upset her.

After setting her back down, he went out of the room to see the man who had helped them.

He was sitting at a table in what appeared to be his kitchen. Fenris sat down beside him and sighed. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Is that cream going to help?"

The man smiled and held the tube out. "It's a magic healing cream. I'm a doctor here in town. The only one actually. I can't use magic myself but I've found that the wizards have come up with many healing solutions that allow us regular doctors to heal more easily. They can really come in handy as you've just witnessed."

Fenris looked back towards the room Kalea was in.

"She'll be fine now. I promise," said the doctor.

"Thank you," responded Fenris.

"Where did you come from might I ask? It seemed like you were running from the forest."

Then Fenris remembered. _Crap the mission!_

He hesitated. He couldn't just leave her here. He looked at the doctor.

"Look. Will she be safe if I leave her here with you for just a few minutes?" he asked.

"Of course. I am a doctor. I can look after her for you," he responded.

Fenris got up and walked over to the door. He stopped. Looking back, he said, "If anything happens to her while I'm gone… I'll kill you." And walked out.

Fenris ran as fast as he could back to the forest. It still took him over an hour to reach where he knew Faelen was.

Eventually, he found him, still sitting next to the cloaked man. He was in the exact same position Fenris had left him in. He hadn't even woken up.

Fenris walked over to Faelen and knelt next to him. He stroked him behind the ear.

"Thanks buddy. I can always count on you." Faelen wagged his tail.

Fenris threw the body over his shoulder and began running back. The man was still out cold. _I guess I hit him pretty hard, _thought Fenris. He reached the doctor's house and kicked the door open. He threw the man onto the floor and looked around.

Kalea was awake. She was sitting upright on the bed talking to the doctor. When Fenris kicked open the door she started. She looked at him, then looked away quickly. Her cheeks were red.

The doctor looked up. "Ehem, and who is that?",\ he asked, indicating the body.

"Doesn't matter right now," responded Fenris.

He walked over to Kalea. "Are you okay?" he asked.

She still didn't look at him.

"Yes," she responded.

Fenris continued looking at her. She finally looked back. "What…happened?"

Fenris explained what happened after she was knocked out. She glanced down at her body when he mentioned the cuts.

"Where…was I cut?"

He quickly responded. "Just around your stomach. Your head also had a large gash on it when you hit the tree but other than that you were unharmed."

He hated lying to her, but right now it was his only option.

She hesitated. "So…just on my stomach? Then how…did I get this blanket on me?"

"Yeah. Just your stomach. And your head like I said. This guy," he indicated the doctor, "healed you up pretty well with this magic ointment. I wrapped you in that blanket when he was done and your clothes kinda…fell apart after I put the blanket on you. They were pretty torn up from the blast. They fell through the blanket onto the floor and I threw them away. We'll need to find you some new ones. "

She looked at the doctor. "Thank you sir."

He raised his hands and shook his head. "No worries! I have spare clothes in the other room. Plenty of patients are in need of clothes I find."

He walked out the door and returned with new clothes for her.

He put the clothes on the floor and stooped to pick up the torn clothes. He paused, looking at Fenris' shoes.

"Your feet young man," he said.

Looking down, Fenris saw his shoes were stained red. Ripping them off, he realized the bottoms of his feet were raw and bloody. He must've ran too hard.

"Oh. Crap."

Kalea saw them and gasped. "How…how did that happen Fenris?!"

Fenris was about to make up some excuse about how it was nothing when the doctor interrupted. "From what I could tell, he carried you quite some distance. He also ran out soon after I treated you and returned with this…large dog…"

He eyed Faelen wearily.

Fenris looked away, not wanting Kalea to worry anymore.

"Fenris…"

Her voice caught his attention. He glanced at her. She was looking at him, eyes full of sadness.

"I'm so sorry…if I had been stronger…you wouldn't have had to carry me all this way. And your feet…"

He shook his head vigorously. "No! You were amazing! Are you kidding me? I was the one who stood there like an idiot while you fought. If I had just moved…"

Silence fell. They looked at each other.

Coughing, the doctor broke the silence.

"Yes…well. You're injuries should be healed up now but I would take it easy young miss. You may be sore for a while."

She nodded. "Thank you again sir."

"We'll be out in the kitchen Kalea. Take your time getting dressed," said Fenris.

As he entered the kitchen with the doctor, he sat down and groaned. What a mess.

"How much do I owe you sir?" he asked.

Laughing, the doctor sat down. "Oh nothing. It was my pleasure."

Fenris argued but the doctor shook his head. "I'll tell you what." He glanced back at the door where Kalea was.

"For payment…take care of that girl. I don't know what she went through to accumulate so many scars but…I know she's carrying something. Take care of her young man."

Fenris thought back to the scars on her back. He had a feelings those scars cut deeper than just her back.

"Yes sir. I promise I will."

.

.

.

An hour later, they were back with Can. The man they caught was tied up and Kalea had cleaned herself up.

Can thanked them for their service and even offered a bonus because they had gotten hurt so badly.

They thanked him and soon enough, were back on the train to Magnolia.

It was quiet. Neither Fenris nor Kalea spoke for a while.

After about two hours of silence, Kalea finally spoke up.

"Fenris," she said.

He looked over from the window.

"Um. Th-thank you. For… I mean you know."

Fenris nodded. "It wasn't that big a deal. I-"

"Yes it was," said Kalea.

"I saw your feet. They were raw. Nobody…has ever done that for me. So thank you. For everything. And…thank you for being my friend."

As she said these words, that wall he felt separated them suddenly collapsed. He knew things were going to be different now. They had just been through a lot. And they did it together.

He smiled at her. "I'm really glad we're friends Kalea."

She hesitantly smiled back. "Yeah…me too."

When they arrived in Magnolia, Fenris and Kalea said their goodbyes. Kalea held up her hand, showing Fenris the extra Jewels Can had given her because of their injuries.

"Have this. We went on this for your rent money so take this too. That way you have extra."

"Nah. I don't need it. You keep it. You deserve it for the way you handled that guy back in the forest," said Fenris.

"I-" but before she could respond Fenris walked away.

He didn't want her to see how red his face was. Faelen stayed next to Kalea for a few moments, looking up at her. Through his eyes, Fenris saw that her face was bright red. He smiled.

.

.

.

After that mission, things changed between them. Similar to when she first started branching out to the other members of the guild, Kalea opened up to him. She started to laugh with everyone. She even cracked a joke here and there.

Erza and Mira noticed the change and came to Fenris a few days after their mission.

"So Fen…" said Mira, her eyes twinkling.

"Hm?"

"Kalea's been much more…active in the guild ever since you guys came back," she said.

Erza nodded. "I too have noticed a change in her persona. She seems much more relaxed now. Did something occur between the two of you during your mission?"

He hesitated. He wasn't going to say anything about her back.

"Not much. We just saved some town from a rogue wizard."

Mira cocked one eyebrow. "That's all?"

Something in her voice told him she didn't believe him.

Before he could respond, Kalea walked up to their table.

"Hey Mira. Hey Erza. How are you?"

Mira smiled widely at her. "Kalea! I'm so happy you're here. We're so good! How are you?"

Kalea took note of her bubbly attitude. "I'm…fine?"

"Great! Well, we'll leave the two of you alone!"

She grabbed Erza and the two of them went back to the bar. Kalea sat down.

"What was that about?" she asked.

Fenris shook his head.

"Who knows with her."

Faelen jumped up on the table and settled between the two of them. Kalea smiled at him and rubbed his fur.

As he watched her, Fenris felt that pain in his chest once again. He noticed this more often as they grew older.

He wondered what it could be about. Although it didn't happen every time, but it only ever happened when he was with Kalea. Why was that?

_Oh well, _he thought. _I can figure that out any other day._

So time passed. He and Kalea grew closer. They went on more missions together, although none were as dangerous as that first one. They even started to spend time outside of the guild together, just the two of them. Well, three. Faelen wasn't one to let others have all the fun.

She branched out to other members of the guild. Her, Levy, and Cana became good friends. He wouldn't call them best friends, but for Kalea, it was certainly a start.

A year later, when Fenris was 18 years old, Lucy Heartfilia joined Fairy Tail… starting a chain of events that would shape the guild forever…

**Author's note:**

**And now we've learned something more about Kalea. What happened to her back will be revealed later in the story. We still have a number of chapters to go before that however. But with the end of this chapter we do reach the beginning of the anime and the introduction of Lucy so we've caught up! Fenris will be joining a lot of the arcs everyone is familiar with, but there will also be some substitutes for my own arcs. I'll let you know when we do move on to a new arc and whether it's an anime arc or an original one.**

**Hope everyone is enjoying the story so far!**


	11. Christmas Special Part 1

**Author's note:**

**Hello all! With Christmas coming up, I decided I'd do another Holiday special. I do celebrate Christmas, so I am unfamiliar with other Holidays around this time so I apologize if you celebrate something different, I just don't feel I could do another Holiday justice since I've only ever known Christmas. This was rather long, so I've split it into parts one and two, however I did post both so you can read it all together! ****This is set in between Fenris and Kalea's first mission together and Lucy's arrival. ****Hope you enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. That privilege belongs to Hiro Mashima**

Fenris rubbed his hands together, trying to get some heat back into them. He couldn't believe how cold it was. Beside him, Faelen was happily walking around, sniffing here and there when he found something interesting. The giant wolf didn't seem to mind the cold at all.

"How are you so happy right now? It's freakin freezing," Fenris said to him.

Faelen wagged his tail and looked up at him.

"Yeah, yeah. If I had all that fur I'm sure I'd be fine to. But guess what? I don't."

Faelen growled at him. Sighing, Fenris pat him on the head. He hadn't meant to snap at his best friend. The cold was getting to him.

"I'm sorry buddy. I didn't mean that. This cold is just irritating me. I feel like it's never been like this."

They were walking through the streets of Magnolia, having just come back from a mission in the mountains. It was supposed to be an easy mission in Crocus, but it had taken much longer than Fenris had anticipated. It had taken them three weeks to return home. In that time, the weather had drastically changed.

When they left, autumn was slowly turning into winter. He knew it was going to get colder, but he assumed it would be more of a gradual change. He was wrong.

Winter smacked them square in the face while he was away. Because he hadn't expected to be gone more than a week, and because he hadn't expected winter to hit them so hard, so quickly, Fenris was severely underdressed for the weather.

This, and the fact that the mission hadn't gone as smoothly as he hoped, made him quite irritated on the way home. Christmas was just two weeks away and he was running out of time to get ready for it.

Fairy Tail had a tendency to go all out during the holidays. Whether it was Easter, Halloween, or Valentine's Day, Fairy Tail always loved an excuse to party. But Christmas was a little different. There was always something special when it came to Christmas at Fairy Tail. It reminded Fenris of his Christmas's at home on Sphere Island.

Back home, he and his mother decorated the entire house the day after Thanksgiving. Once everything was put into place, he and his father would go out to the forest to find the best tree. Sometimes, they'd stay out for hours at a time trying to find the right one.

At Fairy Tail, Christmas was even more extravagant. From the decorations to the giant tree in the guild hall, everything was always bigger with Fairy Tail. Fenris didn't want to miss out on any of the decorating, so the delay in his mission hadn't helped his mood.

A tradition the guild liked to do that he had never heard of until he arrived was Secret Santa. Every year, the Master would bring out a giant box with everyone's name in it. Whatever name you chose from the box, that was who you had to get a present for. Considering how many people were at the guild, this tradition was much easier on his wallet.

Throughout his time at the guild, he had pulled almost every name from the hat except for one. Kalea. But this year, he finally pulled her name. The day before he left, he had asked Master if they could pull the names early. He was glad he did, considering the delay he had to get a present.

When he pulled Kalea's name out of the box, at first, he was thrilled. Ever since that first mission together, he and Kalea had become closer than ever. He wanted to get her something special. But as he sat on the train to Crocus, he thought about what he could get her. During his three weeks in Crocus, he was still struggling on what he could get her.

Now, almost a month after pulling her name, Fenris still had no idea what he could get. Shoving his hands in his pockets, Fenris turned a corner and the guild hall came into view. He could see people standing on the roof, putting what he assumed were lights on top.

Seeing the activity, Faelen barked and ran forward, leaving Fenris behind. Too cold to run, Fenris slowly made his way to the guild. When he finally reached it, he saw Elfman, Laxus, and Gray putting lights up. Elfman waved down at him and shouted something at him. Fenris couldn't quite catch what he was saying but he assumed it had something to do with being manly.

Waving back, Fenris opened the doors, Faelen running in as soon as they opened. As he stepped into the guild hall, Fenris felt heat rush through his body. He saw Natsu creating a fire at the fireplace, which explained why it was so warm. His fire always seemed a little warmer than normal fire.

"Fenris!"

Turning his head, he saw Kalea running up to him from the bar. The warmth seemed to spread to his chest as he watched her.

"I thought you were supposed to be back like two weeks ago! What happened?" Kalea asked him as she reached him.

Rolling his eyes, Fenris started taking off his jacket. "It was a disaster. Literally everything that could've gone wrong went wrong. I couldn't even find the client the first day. I'm pretty lucky I got the money at all from that job."

Kalea frowned at him. "Maybe I should've gone with you."

She had asked him to come along. But Fenris had hoped to get her a present in Crocus so he rejected her proposal. Since he came up short, he wished he brought her along. Maybe he could've finished the job earlier and would have more time to find her a present.

"Yeah, maybe. But that's okay. I'm here now so we can officially get s-"

He paused. He didn't even realize it, but the entire guild hall was almost completely decorated already. He saw Cana and Mira putting up the last of the lights. Natsu was putting up tinsel. Everything was done. The decorating was finished.

His mood dropped again. "Oh…everything's up already."

Kalea put a hand on his arm. "I'm sorry Fenris. I tried to get everyone to hold off but they got really excited. Christmas is almost here so everyone wanted to get them up as soon as possible."

Sighing, Fenris said, "It's fine. I'm just gonna go back home. I gotta put my stuff away and I'm not wearing the right clothes for this weather."

Kalea seemed like she wanted to say something but before she could, he waved goodbye and walked back towards the door. Mentally calling for Faelen, he heard the wolf run up behind him. Reaching out, he felt the soft fur next to him and smiled down at him.

"C'mon buddy. I have some shopping I need to do."

He felt bad for lying to Kalea. But he needed to find something for her. Christmas was coming up fast and he was running out of time. Right before he left, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking back, he saw Natsu's wide smile.

"Hey Fen! We're gonna head to the forest outside of town tomorrow to get the tree. You're coming right?"

If he couldn't help decorate, at least he'd help get the tree. "Yeah. I'll definitely be there. When are you going out?"

Natsu thought for a moment. "Probably pretty early. I wanna find a big one this year. How about eight?"

Fenris nodded. "That works for me. I'll be there!"

Fenris exited the guild and made his way back home. He hadn't been lying when he said he needed warmer clothes. He'd change and then go out and shop around for Kalea's present. Surely there was something in Magnolia he could get her.

Right?

.

.

.

Wrong.

Hours later, Fenris was standing in a jewelry store, staring around in vain. He had _no _clue what Kalea would want. She didn't seem to be into girly things like jewelry and clothes. What else was there? He had no clue. This, and the fact the jewelry store owner had called Faelen a dog who couldn't come in, had soured his mood yet again.

Scowling, he left the store and called Faelen. Faelen bounded up to him, looking happy as ever despite being called a lowly dog.

Wishing he could be as happy as Faelen, he sat on a bench in front of the jewelry store and put his face in his hands. This wasn't turning out to be such a great Christmas so far.

A sudden tap on his shoulder made him jump. Looking up, he saw Kalea smiling down at him.

"I thought you were staying in for the night?" she said.

Thinking quickly, Fenris said, "I was. But Faelen needed to go out. I thought he just needed to use the bathroom but he's been dragging me all over town. I don't know I think he smells something weird in town."

Faelen came up to him and bumped into him, knocking him off the bench.

_Yeah well I needed some kind of excuse and you're the perfect one, _he said to Faelen in his head. He usually didn't talk with him like this, but he didn't want Kalea to hear them.

Kalea laughed and started to pet Faelen on the head. He licked her cheek.

"Well if you're out and about now, do you wanna take a walk with me? Cana and Lucy came over and Cana convinced them to play some drinking games. It got a little too rowdy for me so I just wanted to get some air."

Although Fenris really wanted to find a present for Kalea, he realized he had visited every store in Magnolia already. He hadn't seen Kalea for almost a month and, although he'd never tell her, he did miss her those few weeks away.

"I suppose I can come along. As long as it doesn't get any colder," he shivered. Laughing, Kalea helped him up and together they set off.

Kalea showed him all the shops and businesses that decorated for Christmas. It made him slightly more irritated seeing everything he missed when he was away. But Kalea's presence mitigated those feelings.

As she led him through the streets of Magnolia, Kalea shivered once. She buttoned her coat further and put an arm through Fenris' own arm.

"Sorry. It's getting a little colder," she said.

Fenris shook his head. "I don't mind."

She smiled at him

Eventually, they made their way to the park. Fenris saw it too was decorated. There were lights over the entrance and, somehow, all the trees were decorated with ornaments and lights.

"How'd they get all the trees decorated like this?" he asked.

"The benefits of magic," was all Kalea said. She was looking around in awe at the park.

"It really is amazing isn't it? What we can do with magic."

He nodded, watching the lights twinkle in the trees.

Kalea withdrew her arm from his own and lifted both her hands. Fenris watched as she created a snowflake made of ice and threw it into the air. Using one hand, she shot a small ball of fire at it and the snowflake exploded. A thousand smaller snowflakes fluttered down around them. Although the ice made the air around them even colder, Fenris felt as warm as ever as he watched Kalea smiling up at what she created.

Faelen bumped into him, causing him to trip and fall into Kalea. Before they fell to the ground, Fenris reflexes kicked in. He channeled energy into his hand and, holding onto Kalea with his other hand, he shot a small ball of energy into the ground. The energy was just enough to counter his fall, allowing him to stay on his feet.

"That was smooth," Kalea laughed. He looked down and saw he was holding her tightly to him. Her cheeks were burning bright red as she spoke.

Quickly letting her go, Fenris awkwardly laughed and apologized. "Sorry about that. Kinda lost my footing."

"It's fine Fenris. I probably made a little too much ice anyway."

"No! That was awesome what you did. I'm just clumsy."

Before she could respond, Fenris felt something cold on the back of his neck. Touching the area, he felt something wet.

"What the heck…"

Looking up at the sky, he realized it was starting to snow. Kalea looked up with him and her face brightened.

"I love snow!" she exclaimed.

Creating another ice snowflake, she repeated what she did earlier, adding to the flurry that was starting to come down on them. Faelen started running around, trying to catch the snow on his tongue. Watching Kalea's reaction to the snow, along with Faelen's boundless excitement, Fenris couldn't help but smile. His mood couldn't help but lift. Maybe this Christmas wasn't so bad after all.

.

.

.

The following morning, Fenris trudged his way through the snow-filled streets towards the guild. The snow hadn't let up all night and there was at least two feet on the ground. Although it wasn't snowing as badly, there were still some small flurries here and there while he made his way to the guild.

_This is gonna be a snowy winter…_Fenris thought.

It was still rather early in the morning, which explained why there weren't many people in the streets. Fenris hadn't wanted to get up that early after only a day back, but he wanted to be involved in _something _for the decorating. He wasn't going to miss getting the Christmas tree.

Next to him, Faelen was running up and down the street, digging giant piles of snow everywhere he could. Fenris couldn't help but laugh. Faelen was usually so calm but when it came to snow, he acted like a giant puppy.

A 150 pound puppy.

Fenris' mood had lightened considerably ever since yesterday. From his interaction with Kalea to the festive decorations around Magnolia, he couldn't help but be happy. He loved seeing how enthusiastic everyone got around this time of year.

When the guild was in sight, he saw a small group near the entrance, although he couldn't tell who was there. As he got nearer, he saw a bright head of pink hair bobbing up and down. Smirking, he strolled up and shouted, "Natsu how are you so excited this early in the morning? And where's Happy? Faelen was looking forward to seeing him."

Whirling around, Natsu threw him a wide grin and waved back.

"Happy didn't wanna wake up so early so he stayed in today. He's not a big fan of the cold anyway. And how could I not be excited?" he shouted enthusiastically. "This year, we're gonna pick out the biggest Christmas tree yet. And _I'm_," he pointed to his own chest, "gonna be the one to find it."

Fenris heard a scoff and turned his head to see Gray scowling at Natsu. "If anyone's gonna be the one to find the tree it's gonna be me fire brain."

Natsu rounded on him. "Oh yeah? Wanna bet on that popsicle face?"

Gray closed the distance between them and smashed his head against Natsu, who didn't back down. "Yeah I do. How about first one to find the _best _tree gets dibs on the best dessert on Christmas and the loser can't eat _any_?"

"Oh yeah! Now that's manly!" Fenris looked over to see Elfman giving them both the thumbs up.

"You gonna join this little bet Elfman?" Fenris asked.

"Of course! It wouldn't be manly if I backed down from a challenge."

"I take it you're backing out like a sissy Fenris?"

Natsu was smirking at him, having just thrown Gray into the snow.

Fenris' eye twitched. He hadn't intended on taking part, he really didn't want to risk not having dessert, but the look on Natsu's face touched a nerve.

He flicked a finger, causing the snow around Natsu to fly up into his face. Caught off guard, Natsu tripped over his own feet and fell. Standing over him, Fenris declared, "Bring it on Natsu. I'm gonna kick your ass up and down the forest."

Scowling at him, Natsu jumped up and was about to respond when Jet and Droy interrupted. Fenris didn't even realize they were there.

"Can you guys hurry it up? It's freezing out here and I have a feeling we're gonna be out for a while," said Jet.

"Is it just the six of us?" Fenris asked.

Droy scanned around, seeing if anyone else was on their way. "Yeah I think so. Everyone else either didn't want to get up this early or wanted to finish decorating the rest of the guild hall."

Natsu cracked his knuckles, grinning.

"Alright! Let's head out then. Let the ultimate Christmas tree hunt begin!"

Before anyone else could do a thing, he ran off, cackling loudly. Gray rolled his eyes and started walking after him, the rest of them following suit. While Fenris walked with them, Faelen lagging behind to play in a snow bank, he thought of what else he could get Kalea for Christmas. No matter how hard he thought, he couldn't figure out what she liked. She wasn't a materialistic person. And although they had become much closer since their first mission, he wasn't exactly sure what her personal interests were.

As if he could tell what he was thinking, Gray asked Fenris, "So who'd you get for Secret Santa this year?"

Fenris scowled at him. "It wouldn't be very secret if I told you now would it."

Gray rolled his eyes again. "You really care about the secret stuff? I don't. I got Mira this year and I have no clue what I can get her. I'm just gonna find something girly like a dress or something."

"That's manly!" shouted Elfman.

Gray and Fenris both sweat dropped.

"But seriously Gray. You need to be more thoughtful for my sister. Mira deserves more than just some dress. She's the best sister ever!"

Gray couldn't help but laugh. "Okay, okay I get it. I'll think about it more I guess."

He looked behind him and said, "Jet, Droy, who'd the two of you get?"

They looked at each other warily before answering.

"I'd rather not say," said Droy.

"Yeah…me either. I'm just gonna go with Fenris and keep it to myself," said Jet.

Looking annoyed, Gray said, "You guys are such good two shoes. What about you Elfman?"

Looking prouder than ever, Elfman puffed out his chest. "I got Laxus! I gotta find a manly gift for him!"

Gray stuffed his hands in his pockets and sped up. "You guys are the worst sometimes."

Soon enough, they neared the forest. Natsu was nowhere to be seen. "The fire freak must've already gone in," said Gray. He rolled up his sleeves and started unbuttoning his shirt. "Alright, I guess this is where we part. If you find a tree you think is good enough, shoot some magic into the air so we can tell where you are. The first one we _all _agree is the winner."

Elfman and Fenris both agreed and, after a moment's hesitation, so did Jet and Droy.

"I guess we'll play along. But we're gonna go ahead and search together," Jet said as he and Droy went off.

Fenris awkwardly stood next to Elfman, the two of them the only ones left besides Faelen.

"So…I guess we should get going?" said Fenris.

"Yeah! First one to a Christmas tree is a real man!"

And like that, Elfman was off. Faelen ran up to Fenris and licked his cheek. Putting one hand on his head, he slowly walked into the forest.

"This is gonna be a long day isn't it?"

Faelen barked.

As he meandered through the forest, Fenris heard loud bangs every few minutes. Natsu seemed to be having the time of his life. Fenris wished he enjoy himself as much as everyone else. He was so distracted with finding Kalea a gift, he felt like he couldn't be in the Christmas as much as he wanted to. Faelen gave him another lick as they continued making their way further into the forest.

"Thanks buddy. Sorry I'm kinda a downer today. I've just been so distracted lately. I thought I'd have way more time to get all this done. Plus I missed out on most of the decorating. It's all just a little disappointing."

Sensing what Faelen was thinking, Fenris sighed. "You're right as usual I guess. I should be taking advantage of the time I do have. I'll find something for Kalea. It's just gonna take a little more time than I thought. Meanwhile, let's go find a giant tree!"

Fenris sprinted further into the forest, Faelen happily barking after him. While he ran, he continued hearing bangs and shouts all around him. He heard Natsu shout triumphantly, Elfman screaming about being manly, and Gray yelling at Natsu. They really couldn't do anything without taking it to the next level.

When he was deeper into the forest, the trees starting getting much larger. He scanned around, trying to find the perfect one. Since the guild hall was so large, he wasn't limited by size. He could take any tree in the forest if he really wanted to. Faelen ran ahead of him, sniffing trees every so often when he found one he liked. Fenris was watching him with amusement when Faelen came to an abrupt halt, his ears perking up.

Fenris sensed it through him. Something was off. There was someone else in the forest besides their group. Bending low, Fenris crept up to Faelen and put one hand on his back.

"Lead me to them buddy."

Faelen began slowly walking through the forest, winding around the trees as quietly as he could. A few minutes of walking and Fenris finally sensed what Faelen did. A man, that's really all he could tell, was a few hundred yards away from them. He appeared to have not noticed them yet. Fenris bent down even further, wishing he had worn something less dark so as to blend in with the snow. Faelen wouldn't have a difficult time, but Fenris was worried he could be seen if they got too close.

Eventually, the man finally came into view. Even from a distance, Fenris could tell the man was rather large. He seemed to be standing in one place, his back to them, staring up at the sky. Fenris couldn't tell if he was friend or foe, so he didn't make his presence known. Instead, he continued creeping up behind the man until he was only about a hundred yards away.

The man was standing on the edge of a clearing, still staring up at what Fenris assumed was the sky. Just as Fenris was about to step into the clearing, a gigantic pile of snow fell from the tree above him, causing him to fall to the ground, his eyes obscured from the snow. From the noises beside him, Faelen appeared to have been hit at the same time.

Worried the strange man heard them, Fenris jumped up as quickly as he could, rubbing snow off his face.

The man was gone.

Running to the spot he had been standing at, Fenris scanned the edge of the clearing. He couldn't tell where he could've gone and Faelen seemed as perplexed as he was. Fenris looked down and realized there weren't even any tracks leading out of the forest. In fact, there weren't even prints on the ground where the man had been just moments before.

"What the hell…"

Faelen was frantically sniffing around the area, trying to find any trace of the stranger. It was like he hadn't even been there.

Shivering from the snow he was now covered in, Fenris remembered what the man had been doing before he disappeared. He walked over to stand on the same spot and looked up.

He gasped.

Before him stood the largest Evergreen tree Fenris had ever seen. It had to be at least 50 feet high. And he couldn't even tell how large it was in diameter. All he knew was that this had to be it. This had to be the tree they'd take home.

Completely forgetting about the stranger, Fenris shot a blast of energy into the air, making the tops of the trees around him sway from the wind produced by his magic. He knew it would take them a few minutes to get to him, so Fenris made his way around the tree, inspecting it for some sort of flaw.

He could find nothing wrong with it. There wasn't a single branch out of line. They all formed the perfect conical shape, leading to a branch big enough to put an even larger star than they usually could put on top. The needs were flattened out and had a shining, silvery-white texture, not a single oddity.

It was the perfect tree.

Fenris couldn't believe his luck. As he continued admiring the tree, he heard Natsu's voice shout, "Oy! Did ya find anything good?!"

Turning around, he spotted Natsu, Gray, and the others making their way into the clearing. When the tree came into view, they all stopped at the same time, staring up at it.

"How…the hell did you find this thing?" asked Gray in awe.

Fenris was about to tell them about the odd man he saw when he hesitated. There was no trace of him anymore. Fenris couldn't even pick up a scent. And his tracks were completely gone. _Had _he seen someone? Or was it just a figment of his imagination? But then how had Faelen seen him?

Deciding he would tell them later, Fenris said, "Faelen was dragging me around everywhere and we just kinda stumbled across this clearing. Obviously it's the biggest tree here so it caught my eye."

Gray, Jet, and Droy looked at him suspiciously while Elfman and Natsu were admiring the tree. He was worried they would question him further, but after another few moments, they all shrugged and walked over to the tree.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Fenris felt Faelen bump into him.

"Yeah I know. We'll tell them soon. Right now I just want to get this tree into the guild. It's freezing out here."

Faelen growled at him but accepted his decision.

"I guess this means you're the winner," Elfman said as Fenris walked up to them. Natsu frowned while Gray rolled his eyes.

"So this means I don't get any desserts?" said Natsu.

"You're the one who made this stupid bet in the first place moron. So yeah. No desserts for you or any of us besides Fenris," said Gray rather edgily.

Smirking, Fenris said, "Hey wasn't my idea. Not my fault I'm just better than you guys."

Natsu was about to make a retort when Jet interjected. "Guys, can we get this tree back to the guild? It's freezing out here and we still have to cut it down and drag it all the way there."

"Yeah! Let's get some manly work done!" shouted Elfman.

Scowling, Natsu agreed and they got to work. It took them over two hours to get the tree down. Gray was the only one who had the type of magic to cut the trunk, which was extremely thick. Droy couldn't use his magic since they didn't need the roots, just the trunk and up. Jet's magic wouldn't be very helpful, and Natsu kept trying to burn the trunk. Everyone yelled at him to get back until they had the tree down.

Eventually though, Gray cut enough of the trunk so that Elfman could use his strength to push it down and Fenris could use his Force magic to soften its landing. Once it was down, Gray created ice ropes to wrap around it and they all took one and set off.

Despite having six of them, it was slow going getting the tree back to the guild. They had to find enough space to maneuver through, so they had to change course often. By the time they finally made their way out of the forest, the sun was beginning to set. When they arrived at the guild, it was already dark, their way lit by the lacrima lanterns on the street.

They heard loud voices and laughter as they neared the doors to the guild. Natsu dropped the tree and ran inside, his attention span getting the better of him again. This forced the others to also let go, needing the extra help to lug the tree around.

"I guess we can't move it now until the moron gets back. Let's go inside for a few minutes and then we can bring it in the rest of the way," said Gray.

Agreeing, they all went inside, wanting to warm themselves up having been outside all day. Fenris saw the rest of the guild managed to finish decorating while they were searching for a tree. Most members were gathered around the giant fireplace, clustered around Cana who seemed to be telling some sort of story. Natsu was already with the group, a drink in hand and laughing with the others. Fenris went up to the bar to grab a drink. Mira was there, smiling at him as he approached.

"Hey Fenris! Did you manage to get a tree? I asked Natsu when he ran in but he seemed a little preoccupied," said Mira.

"Yeah we got an awesome tree. We were _supposed _to bring it inside but Natsu ran off. We're gonna get it when we drag him back outside. It was freezing out though so I think a break was called for anyway."

"Can't wait to see it! Why don't you go over to the fireplace with everyone else? I think Cana is finishing her story but it's much warmer over there," said Mira.

Taking his drink, he made his way to the fireplace and tried to find a seat. Faelen was already sleeping as close as he could next to the fire. Being able to sleep on the floor had its perks.

There was a low buzz of talk as Cana finished whatever story she was telling. She got up and walked back to her seat, leaving the seat next to the fire open. Not having his own story to tell, Fenris stayed back a bit until he saw Master Makarov get up to sit in the hot seat. This was a tradition around this time of year. Almost every night, the entire guild sat around the fireplace to tell Christmas stories. Whoever told the best story won a free meal that night. As Master Makarov began his story, Fenris looked for somewhere to sit.

"Psst. Fenris! Over here!" a voice whispered beside him.

He saw Kalea gesturing to him. She indicated an open seat next to her. Remembering the fact he still didn't have a present for her, Fenris felt heat rise to his cheeks as he sat down next to her.

"How'd the tree picking go?" she asked.

"Good. I found a big one we'll bring inside in a little bit," he responded.

She gave him a wide smile and said, "That's great! I love when we get the tree in. I can't wait to see it."

He felt his heart flutter as she smiled at him. Why was she always able to do that to him? Ever since they were kids, whenever he looked at her, he always seemed to have some kind of contraction in his chest. He had no explanation for it.

Trying to ignore the feeling, he said, "Yeah once Natsu remembers we have the tree we'll be able to bring it in. We were literally about to bring it inside when he saw everyone sitting here and literally dropped the tree and left."

She laughed. "Typical Natsu. The attention span of a child."

He smirked at that. "The tree is so big we couldn't pick it up without him. You'll see when we get it inside."

"I can't wait," she said, smiling again.

Turning his head, he saw that Master Makarov was already finishing with his story. Slightly disappointed he hadn't heard it, Fenris focused his attention on Master.

"…and that is the story of my first Christmas as guild Master! Obviously times have changed, but every year I've loved it more and more. Being here with my children brings me great happiness. And that is what Christmas is all about. Brining happiness to others."

"Here, here!" they all shouted in unison and everyone took a drink from their mugs.

Mira walked up to their group as the Master sat down. "Do we have any other volunteers today?" she asked everyone.

When nobody raised their hands, Mira said, "Okay! Let's vote for the winner of tonight's story telling!"

She started naming those who had told stories and everyone cheered for their favorites. When she said Cana's name, the loudest cheer rang out. Fenris saw Master Makarov give a slightly disappointed look but he cheered her name along with everyone else.

Mira clasped her hands together and said, "We have a winner!"

Cana got up and took a bow to more cheers. The group started to disperse, everyone getting up to make their way to the other tables in the guild hall. Fenris noticed Gray arguing with Natsu and assumed he was bereding him for leaving them behind.

"Are you bringing the tree in now?" came Kalea's voice from behind him.

"If Gray and Natsu can stop arguing for more than five minutes. I'd like to get it in before everyone leaves," said Fenris.

As he spoke those words, Natsu lunged at Gray, causing him to fall against Elfman, who stumbled into Droy. Soon enough, almost everyone was fighting. Sighing, Fenris got up and cracked his knuckles.

"I thought you wanted to get the tree in?" said Kalea.

"I do. So I'm gonna go break up this fight. Watch this. It's a move I've been working on and I think I finally found a way to test it."

He went to the edge of the fight and eyed out where the middle was. Lifting one hand, he swung it down, releasing a blast of magic through his hand. However, instead of sending the energy out all at once, he restricted the magic to a narrow beam. As he brought his hand down, he manipulated the magic so that it created a sort of wall, forcing the group to break apart from the magic. Caught off guard, everyone stopped what they were doing mid-punch and stared at him.

"Can we get this damn tree inside so I can go home?" said Fenris.

Seeming to remember they still needed a tree, everyone cheered and broke apart, the fight over in an instant.

"That was impressive," said Kalea.

"It's still new but it gets the job done. I've been trying to figure out how to use it in a practical setting. This was good, but I'm not sure when I can use it in a fight."

Kalea crossed her arms and thought for a moment. "Well probably a large scale fight. When you want to break up a group similar to this one. But enough about that. I wanna see the tree c'mon!"

She followed everyone else, who were headed outside to admire the tree. Fenris followed suit, Faelen in tow. When they got outside, they found the entire guild standing around the tree, chatting animatedly about it. Fenris made his way to the front of the group so he and the others could finally bring it inside.

As they picked it up, everyone cheered again and held the door open for them. They brought it inside and set it up on the main stage of the guild hall. The Master had already conjured up the stand for it and, once it was up, the entire guild stood back to admire the best tree they had ever found.

"Who found this one!" shouted Macao. He and Wakaba were sitting on a table near the back.

Scowling, Natsu crossed his arms and refused to answer. Fenris smirked at him and poked his own chest.

"That'd be me! And dear little Natsu decided we'd make a bet to see who could pick out the best tree. And the loser doesn't get any dessert on Christmas day!"

The room rang out in laughter as Natsu, Gray, and Elfman brooded silently.

"Hey, we never agreed to that bet so count us out," said Droy, Jet nodding in agreement.

As the laughter died down, Master went up and stood next to the tree.

"Children! Please calm down. I'd just like to say a few words and then I think it will be time to end things for the night."

Every fell silent, listening intently.

"This tree," Master said as he looked up at it, "is certainly one to be proud of! Thank you Fenris for finding it! And thank you Gray, Elfman, Jet, Droy, and Natsu for helping him bring it to the guild. Tomorrow evening, everyone should come back here and we will all decorate the tree together. We will have food, drinks, and games aplenty so feel free to invite anyone in the town!"

Everyone cheered to that.

"But now! Let us all go home. I want everyone to get enough rest for tonight as I have a feeling we will be up long into the night tomorrow. Good night!"

He left the stage, walking up the stairs to his office and shutting the door behind him. Slowly, everyone around him started to disperse, exiting the guild in groups. Fenris saw Natsu, still scowling, leave with Gray and Erza.

"Wanna walk back together?" Kalea said.

He'd been so distracted by the speech, he hadn't heard her approach.

"Yeah! Definitely. Let me just go get Faelen."

Faelen was near the bar, trying to get the last scraps of food from Mira as she finished cleaning up.

"Faelen! Stop bothering Mira and c'mon. We're gonna head home."

Looking at him with those big puppy dog eyes, Faelen's ears drooped and he followed him out the door with Kalea.

"Don't give me that. You've had plenty of food. I'll give you a snack at home too."

Faelen's ears immediately perked back up and he started running through the snow.

Kalea laughed, watching him with amusement. Fenris' eyes lingered on Kalea. As he watched her, he thought about her personality. What would someone like her want for Christmas? He already ruled out clothes and jewelry. She didn't care about that stuff. But what else was there?

He thought about his predicament as they made their way back to Kalea's house. When they were only a few blocks from her place, Faelen froze. Fenris, sensing his friend's thoughts, stopped walking, putting a hand on Kalea's shoulder to stop her.

"What's wrong?" Kalea asked. She also noticed Faelen freeze and had a worried look on her face.

Fenris scanned the streets. Despite the time, there was still a crowd of people out in the streets. He'd have a difficult time finding him in this crowd.

After another minute of scanning, he saw him. The stranger from the woods. The large man was standing in front of a shop, looking into its window.

Quickly turning to Kalea, Fenris said, "Kalea! Do you see that guy over there?" He pointed at the shop, which he could see was one of the many bakeries in Magnolia.

"Where?" asked Kalea.

"By that bakery! Just over t-" he paused as he looked back at the bakery. The man was gone again.

Faelen growled at the same time Fenris grabbed Kalea's hand and sprinted to the bakery. He stopped in front of it and searched the ground.

No footprints. Just like in the forest.

"Damn it!" Fenris shouted.

"Fenris…what's going on? What guy are you talking about?" said Kalea.

Fenris ignored her for another few moments, trying to see if he could see any kind of hint as to where the man went. Faelen couldn't pick up a scent. No tracks. There was no explanation as to how this kept happening.

Not wanting Kalea to think he was crazy, Fenris explained about what happened in the clearing. How the man had disappeared without a trace. How the _exact _same thing just happened.

"If…there really is someone, maybe you should let Master know," Kalea said. Something in her tone made him think she was having a hard time believing him.

"Look, I know I sound crazy. But I _swear _I saw him. I mean, even Faelen saw him. If it was only me, maybe this could be all in my head, but I _know _I've seen him. I just…need proof first. Before I can tell anyone. So far, he's just been staring at things every time I've seen him. First it was the tree. Now it's this bakery," he indicated the window they were standing in front of.

Kalea turned and her eyes lit up.

"They have it! I haven't seen this in years!" she exclaimed.

She pressed her hands against the glass, her eyes staring at something sitting on the shelf in front of the window. Fenris stared at her, taken aback by the sudden change in topic.

"What do they have?" he asked.

She pointed at what looked like a sort of cake with big layers of pastry in it. Giving her a questioning look, Fenris said," What exactly is that?"

"It's called a mille-feuille. It's made from a couple of layers of puff pastry, depends on how much you want, and in between there are layers of cream. The cream can be any kind you want. Then the top layer is dusted with any topping you want, like the pastry crumbs or just plain sugar. I used to have it a lot when I was younger. A…friend used to make me some."

As she said that last sentence, her mood dampened slightly. Although she still seemed excited to see the pastry again. Fenris stared at the piece of cake, that's what he was calling it anyway. Maybe he could get her that? It seemed like something personal to her. But it was just food. How personal could it mean? He wanted this present to be special. In the back of his mind, he made a mental note to come back here in case he couldn't find anything else.

"C'mon," he said, taking her arm and pulling her along. "It's getting cold out here."

She nodded, still looking back fondly at the cake. His touch on her arm warmed him significantly. Fenris led her back to her house and said good night.

"What're you doing before the tree decorating tomorrow?" she asked him.

He thought about it. He was thinking about looking for a gift again, but he had already exhausted all his options.

"I don't think we have any plans. We spent all day today trying to find a tree so I think tomorrow I just wanna relax a little."

"Do you want to hang out? I feel like I haven't seen you much recently since your job. There's some festivities going on around town I was planning on seeing if you wanted to come along."

Realizing she was right, Fenris agreed right away. He missed being around Kalea. She was a constant in his life, someone he could always rely on. Even though they got off to a rocky start which, to be fair, everyone got off to a rocky start with Kalea, they were best friends now. And since their first mission together, things were even better between them. There were still times when she secluded herself, but overall, she integrated much more easily into the guild now.

"Yeah, that sounds like a great idea," he said.

She beamed at him. "Great! I'll see you tomorrow. Just come over to my place whenever you're ready. I figure you'll probably be sleeping in longer than me so I'll be ready."

They both said good night and Fenris set off for his own house. When he finally sat down on his couch, he felt exhausted. The day's events seemed to finally catch up with him.

Faelen jumped onto the couch with him and laid his head in his lap. His fur radiated with warmth, despite playing in snow the entire way home. Between the warmth and his exhaustion, Fenris felt extremely comfortable. Without meaning to, he closed his eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep.

**Author's note:**

**Thanks for reading! Part two is up so feel free to continue!**


	12. Christmas Special Part 2

**Author's note:**

**Part two of the Christmas special!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. That privilege belongs to Hiro Mashima**

The following morning, Fenris woke up to the smell of dog breath in his face. Opening his eyes, he saw Faelen was laying completely on top of him, his head mere inches away from the giant wolf. Gagging, he tried to knock Faelen off him, but he was so big Fenris couldn't move him an inch.

"Faelen get off! Your breath stinks!" Fenris shouted at him.

Faelen's eyes opened up and he gave a large yawn, making his breath smell even stronger. Groaning, Fenris tried again to push him off but Faelen wouldn't budge. He wagged his tail and licked Fenris on the cheek.

"Okay buddy good morning. Now please get off. I gotta get ready to go soon."

He checked the time and saw it was already nine in the morning. He wanted to spend the day with Kalea before they went to the guild. Faelen finally jumped off the couch, allowing Fenris to get up and clean himself up.

A half hour later, Fenris was out the door and on his way. The streets were already bustling with activity. He could see booths being erected on almost every block. How didn't he know about today's festival? He saw a flier that read "Welcome to the Magnolia Christmas Festival! Exactly two weeks before Christmas, we will have games and activities all along the streets of Magnolia. We welcome everyone, no matter what you celebrate, to come join the fun!"

"So this is everyday huh?" he said to Faelen. Faelen barked happily.

On their way to Kalea's, Fenris noted the many food and game booths that were being set up. He was excited to try some of those out with Kalea. When he eventually got to her house, his walk was delayed because of the amount of people on the streets, he found her waiting outside, admiring everything that was going on.

Fenris took note of her mood. She seemed rather excited these past few days.

"You look happy," he said to her.

Kalea started, having not seen him walk up. "This time of the year is always so fun. I really enjoy it. Christmas reminds me of happiness. Back when I first joined, I…wasn't too happy. Christmas wasn't exactly fun back home. But when I saw how everyone here celebrated and how cheerful people get during this time, it made me…happy. So I really like Christmas."

Fenris listened intently. It was very rare for Kalea to talk about her past. These small glimpses into her personal life were a rare treat and he wanted to remember it all. The holidays really must mean a lot to her if they caused her to open up like this.

"Well let's go enjoy some of these booths. I saw some good looking food back there that I'd like to try out," said Fenris.

Kalea smiled and together they set off.

The rest of the day was spent laughing, playing, and eating. Fenris won a giant stuffed wolf, which looked suspiciously like Faelen, that he gave to Kalea. He ate so much food he thought his stomach would explode. They listened to one of the local bands play a small concert for everyone. Fenris couldn't remember when he had more fun.

However, the day wasn't entirely full of Christmas spirit. A few hours into their merriment, Fenris spotted the odd stranger looking into a booth. Not wanting to scare Kalea, and hoping to catch him off guard, Fenris slowly manipulated their path into the direction of the booth the stranger was at. Just as he got near, a large crowd seemed to appear out of nowhere, obscuring his vision. When the crowd parted, the stranger was gone.

No tracks. No smell. Nothing. Just like both other times. The man at the booth didn't seem to acknowledge anything was out of the ordinary. Fenris was completely baffled. Faelen couldn't explain it either. This happened three other times after this. Each time, Fenris lost track of him seemingly out of nothing.

Oddly enough, every time they stopped at the booth the stranger was looking at, said booth seemed to have something Kalea found an interest in. The first time they stopped it was at a booth with a variety of books. It also happened to contain an exact copy of a book Kalea had been searching for weeks for but could never find. The second time they stopped it was at a small antique booth.

"I _love _antique stuff! I collect these kind of knick knacks whenever I can when I'm out on a job," said Kalea.

This continued every time he saw the stranger until at last, it was finally time to head back to the guild.

"I can't believe we saw all that stuff! Those booths were awesome. There was so much I wish I could've gotten," said Kalea as they made their way to the guild hall.

"I offered…" Fenris started to say when she interrupted.

"I know, I know. But I don't need you buying me a bunch of stuff. It's fine Fenris, really," she said.

Slightly disappointed, Fenris thought back to the stranger. He was showing up more often now. It also seemed strange that every time he saw the man today, he happened to be looking at something Kalea loved. Why was this strange person able to spot things for her that he couldn't?

When they entered the guild hall, they found everyone already there, gathering around the tree. As they approached, Fenris spotted Mira on the stage, organizing the many boxes full of ornaments and lights. Faelen ran forward, excited by the growing crowd.

"Fen! Kalea!" came a voice from inside the crowd.

Levy's head popped out, waving for them to come over. When they neared, Levy reached out a hand and pulled Kalea into the crowd. Fenris cocked an eyebrow, trying to follow them. It didn't take long for him to lose sight of Levy's blue hair.

"Oy! Fenris!" came a familiar voice.

Natsu stormed up to him, looking agitated. "Where've you been?! We've been waiting for you!"

He grabbed Fenris' arm and dragged him towards the stage where Mira was explaining who would be doing what.

"…and Levy's group will take charge of this section of the tree," she said, outlining a bottom section of the tree. Since it was so large, they had to tackle different sections in groups. Natsu dragged him to where Gray, Erza, and Elfman were.

"Ready to make this tree manly?!" shouted Elfman.

"Elfman, this is not a 'manly' tree. This will be an elegant, refined tree. One which we as a guild can be proud of," said Erza.

Noticing Fenris and Natsu, Erza turned to them and said, "Ah, Fenris! I heard you were the one who found this magnificent tree. I must say you did a fine job. This truly is the best tree I've ever seen at Fairy Tail."

Fenris smirked as Natsu's irritated face grew even more sour. "Thanks Erza. Faelen helped me a lot," Faelen came up from behind him and licked Erza's face.

Erza smiled as she patted him on the head. "Well thank you as well Faelen. Now then!" she turned to the tree. "Let us begin!"

The crowd cheered, and the party began.

While they decorated, first starting with the lights, Mira went around with a tray full of food and drinks. Fenris took a mug and, challenged by Natsu, chugged the entire thing. He had a feelings the beverage was provided by Cana, because he immediately felt light headed.

He spotted Kalea, who was on a ladder with Levy. She waved at him and he, a little too enthusiastically due to his drink, waved back. She laughed at him and went back to decorating.

The next few hours went by in a blur. From the ornaments to the drinks, Fenris and the others laughed and drank the night away. At one point, Faelen stumbled into one of the boxes, coming out covered in lights and tinsel. Elfman accidentally destroyed a box of ornaments, trying to hold them up with one hand shouting about being a man. Erza yelled at Natsu and Gray for trying to start a fight. So many things happened, Fenris felt like he couldn't keep track.

Around one in the morning, they all stepped back and admired their work. It looked incredible. Hands down, it was the best tree Fenris had ever seen. Next to him, Kalea looked on in awe. Fenris smiled at her expression. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw him.

The stranger.

He was standing near the back of the crowd, staring up at the tree, a grin spread across his face. The man turned his head to Fenris and looked him square in the face. Fenris stared back. He had a rather large beard. Which was pure white, along with his hair. Overall, he looked…rather jolly.

Before Fenris could move, Natsu shoved him, causing him to tumble to the floor. Natsu said, "Look at this thing Fenris! It looks awesome!"

Ignoring him, Fenris jumped to his feet, hoping the stranger was still there.

He was gone. Again.

_Damn it…_Fenris thought.

"Hey! Stop ignoring me!" shouted Natsu.

Slightly annoyed, Fenris agreed with him and went back to Kalea.

Sensing his agitation, she asked, "Anything wrong?"

"No…it's nothing. Just bruised my shoulder when Natsu shoved me," he said. He didn't want to dampen Kalea's mood by telling her about the stranger again.

She looked like she was going to say something else when Master Makarov came onto the stage. Everyone fell silent.

"Well done my children! I must say, this is the greatest tree we've had in years! Maybe in ever! But now, we must put the topper on the tree. Who would like to do it this year?"

Almost every hand shot into the air at once. The only hand missing was Kalea. Although she was much more open with everyone, she still didn't like being put in the spotlight. That was pushing things too far for her. The Master gazed around until, finally, he pointed to Kalea.

"Kalea my dear, I would like you to do the honor this year," he said.

She looked shocked as everyone turned towards her. People started to clap and cheer her name, all while her face reddened. She started to shake her head when Fenris put a hand on her shoulder. She flinched at his touch but, when she saw it was him, her shoulders relaxed slightly.

"Go on Kalea. You deserve this," he said to her.

Still shaking slightly, she made her way up on stage, people still cheering for her. The Master gave her a gentle smile, which seemed to help her relax a little more.

"Now, Mira would you please bring out the topper," Master said.

Mira went behind the stage and Fenris heard a loud noise as something fell. Laughs echoed around the room as she came back into view, carrying a large topper with her. It was a perfect replica of the guild mark, colored in red and green for Christmas. Fenris was always amazed how beautiful it looked.

"Thank you Mira. Kalea, as always, you can use any form of magic you'd like to place it on top. However, no ladders!," he said as everyone laughed.

This was another tradition for the guild. Every year, once the tree was decorated in lights and ornaments, the Master would pick a member to put the topper on the tree. The catch was they couldn't use a ladder. They could only use magic to manipulate the topper onto the tree. For this reason, Natsu had never been chosen. Fire and trees generally don't mix.

Mira placed the topper in front of Kalea and joined the rest of the crowd. Kalea didn't move at first, just stared at it for a few minutes. The excited buzz started to die out, leaving the loudest silence Fenris ever heard. Fenris was worried this might hurt Kalea more than help. He understood why the Master had chosen her. He wanted to continue her positive integration with the other members. But this may have been pushing things.

Just as he finished thinking this, Kalea raised her arms. The topper lifted into the air, slowly floating towards the top of the tree. Fenris sensed his own magic radiating from her, causing his cheeks to flush. Everyone was silent as the topper floated to the top, causing Kalea's cheeks to redden even more. When it finally reached its designated spot, Kalea gently placed it down. The moment she lowered her arms, the guild erupted in cheers. Looking slightly flustered, Kalea awkwardly smiled and left the stage.

She was greeted with more claps and pats on the back while she passed. Stopping in front of Fenris, she said, "Sorry…it was the only way I could get it up there. I wasn't intending on doing that so I didn't really have a plan."

Fenris grinned at her. "You did amazing!" he said.

Fenris didn't think anyone could get a deeper shade of red than Kalea was at that moment.

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Over the course of the next week, Fenris did his best to find a present for Kalea. Although he had some more insight as to what she might want, he was still struggling. The mystery of the stranger seemed to be destined to go unresolved. Since the Christmas festival, Fenris hadn't seen him at all. Overall, the week leading up to Christmas was a frantic one.

And before he knew what was happening, there were only two days before Christmas.

"What just happened?" he said to Faelen when he woke up on December 23rd.

Faelen groggily got up, looked out the window, then went straight back to bed. Fenris sighed. Two days. He had _two days _to figure everything out. He had to focus. He had to go out and find a gift for her _today._If he waited until tomorrow, he knew he'd never find it.

Fenris got dressed and ate breakfast, leaving Faelen to rest. As he was putting his shoes on, there was a knock on his door. Wondering who that could be, he went to open it.

Nobody was there.

He looked down and found untouched snow. _That guy…_he thought. It had to be the stranger. Curious, he went back inside and finished getting ready. Seeing as Faelen was still knocked out, Fenris decided to let him rest. He walked outside and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

_This winter is so freaking cold…_he thought.

He chose a random path and started to walk. Considering how things were going between him and this strange man, he knew he'd stumble across him eventually. And, after about a half hour of walking, he found him. This time though, there was nobody in the streets. Nothing to mask his escape.

Fenris paused, not sure what he should do. Despite the distance between them, the man turned his head and looked at Fenris, as if he knew he was there the entire time. They watched each other, neither blinking. Without any warning, the stranger gave him a warm smile, and entered the store. Not wanting to miss his chance, Fenris sprinted after him, coming to a halt in front of the store window.

It was closed.

The lights were off, the door was locked. And once again there were no tracks.

"What the hell is going on?!" Fenris shouted to nobody in particular.

Banging on the window, he glanced inside. It was a photography store. What was he doing in front of a photography store. Fenris eyed the pictures in the window, each showing a different scene. Quite a few of them contained amazing landscapes, but as he scanned the pictures, he noticed many of them contained groups of people. Some looked like families. Some friends. But in every one of them, the people looked happy. They were laughing. Or smiling fondly at their loved ones.

And this gave him an idea. He took note of when the store opened and sprinted back home. Faelen was awake when he arrived, whining at the front door.

"Sorry buddy," he said. He explained what happened and his idea for Kalea's present. Faelen's exactment was palpable. He jumped on Fenris, knocking him to the ground. Laughing, Fenris shoved him off and explained what their next steps were.

An hour later, Fenris set off with Faelen. There were many more people in the streets than there were the first time he was out. He trudged through the snow, a determined look on his face. A few blocks away from the photography store, he passed the bakery that had Kalea's favorite dessert. Fenris paused for a moment, then backtracked into the store. If his first plan didn't work, he'd need a backup.

A few minutes later, he stood in front of the photography store, a bag in one hand with her dessert. Slightly nervous, he looked at Faelen.

"Hopefully this works," he said.

Faelen gave him a reassuring bark. Fenris gathered his courage, and walked inside.

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A few hours later, having dropped the dessert off at his house, Fenris was on his way to the guild hall. He brought along a backpack, which had a brand new camera inside. If his planned was going to work, he needed to make sure Kalea didn't see the camera. The days coming up to Christmas were always a busy time in the guild. Nobody went on jobs, preferring to stay with other members and celebrate the festive holiday.

He knew everyone would already be in the guild hall, considering it was well into the afternoon. Today and tomorrow would be his only chance at getting what he needed. As he threw open the doors, he was greeted with loud music and laughter. Mira was singing up on stage, cheered on by the crowd.

_Perfect…_thought Fenris. Everyone was already distracted. He drew out his camera and got to work. Sneaking around, he took pictures of everyone. From Macao and Wakaba sharing a drink, to Natsu and Happy chowing down on chicken and fish. He got a picture of Erza attempting to hide a cake and even got a picture of Kalea smiling with Levy.

"Fenris!" a voice shouted. He quickly stuffed the camera back in his backpack and turned to see Kalea walking up to him.

"Where've you been?" she asked him.

Thinking quickly, Fenris said, "Oh…Faelen wasn't feeling great this morning. I think he ate something weird last night. I was just making sure he felt better before we came out."

Kalea gave Faelen a worried look, who drooped his ears and gave her his best puppy dog eyes. He was always quick on the uptake.

With Kalea preoccupied, Fenris slipped his pack off and threw it under the table. He saw Levy give him a strange look and he shook his head, hoping she'd take the hint. Luckily, Levy was one of the more clever members of the guild and, after a moment's hesitation, she turned away.

"Well I'm glad he's okay now. I wouldn't want him to be sick on Christmas," Kalea said, finally standing up from petting Faelen.

"Yeah, me too. But it's all good now. How long have you been here?" he asked.

"Pretty much all day. I got here early because I didn't have any food at home. There were already a lot of people when I arrived, which was kinda surprising. I think you were the last person to arrive though so now everyone's here," Kalea explained.

Needing to distract her so he could continue his work, Fenris said, "Do you think you could grab Faelen some food? I needed to ask Levy something but I really want to get some food in him. Here," he said, reaching into his pocket. "Take some money a-"

Kalea interrupted him. "I have this one. Don't worry," she said, giving him a gentle smile.

He felt his cheeks grow hot and looked away. "Ah. Thanks. I'll be right back."

When Kalea and Faelen left, Fenris warning him to keep her occupied, he went over to Levy and sat down across from her. She eyed him suspiciously as he sat.

"What was in the backpack?" she asked.

"Nothing gets by you does it? Look, I pulled Kalea for Secret Santa and I've been having a hard time figuring out what to get her. But, I think I finally figured it out. Listen…"

He explained his idea to her. As he finished, he saw Levy's face brighten up.

"Fenris that's such a good idea! Especially for someone like Kalea. Can I help in any way? I got my gift a week ago so I'm completely free to help out," she said.

Fenris thought about it. He realized part of his plan wouldn't work unless someone else was taking pictures along with him. If he was going to trust this to anyone, it'd probably be Levy.

"Yeah that'd be great actually. I gotta continue what I was doing earlier so I need her distracted pretty much all day today and tomorrow. Then, I'm gonna need you to take the camera and do something for me," he hesitated. "Do you know how to use one?"

"Seriously? You think I don't know how to work a camera?" she said.

Putting up his hands placatingly, he said, "Sorry, sorry. I should've known you would know how. Well then in that case I'll let you know when we'll make the switch. I think tomorrow is when I'll need you to work with it. Today I want to make sure I get everything I need."

After agreeing with the plan, he stood up and grabbed the camera from under the table. Having everyone in the guild made for fantastic cover. Fenris was able to get shots from almost every angle he needed. He watched as Levy went around, whispering to other members of the guild. He saw their eyes light up and nod their heads in agreement to what she was asking them. His plan was going smoothly so far.

Throughout the rest of the day, Fenris snapped shots of every member in the guild. All day, everyone came up to chat with Kalea. As the day progressed, as he hoped it would, her mood lifted more and more. All she needed in life were people who cared about her. Fenris didn't know anything about her past, but he did know that she went through something traumatic. Why else would her eyes remind him of his own.

Having people around you who truly care about you, who truly want you to be happy, can make a world of difference. Fenris wanted to capture all of that with his camera. And by the end of the night, he felt like he had almost everything he needed. There were just a few more pictures he needed, but that would have to wait until tomorrow.

When it became so late people started yawning, Master spoke up. "Alright everyone! Let us head home. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and you know what that means," he said excitedly.

"Slumber party!" everyone yelled together. Yes, that was another tradition they had. The day before Christmas, everyone would bring pillows and blankets and sleep in the guild hall together. The tables would be removed, replaced by bean bags, sleeping blankets, and even a few mattresses.

Faelen came bounding up to Fenris as he called for him in his mind. "Good job keeping her busy today bud. I have almost everything I need now."

He spotted Kalea walking up to him and was glad he already put his camera away.

"Hey! Do you want to walk back together?" she asked him. He took note of her demeanor. She seemed much more relaxed than usual. More happy. Not wanting to make her suspicious, he nonchalantly agreed, but inside he was jumping up and down.

Having been distracted most of the day, they didn't realize it had started to snow again. When they opened the doors, they were hit with a blast of cold. Shivering, Fenris put on his gloves and walked outside. They noticed Gray, shirtless, whistling and looking like he was taking a stroll on a warm summer evening.

Kalea laughed and Fenris, who had started to get irritated at the cold weather again, forgot all about his own worries. He was just happy she was happy.

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The following day, Fenris got up and packed his pajamas, a large blanket, and a pillow. He ate breakfast quickly, grabbed the dessert for Kalea, and made his way to the guild with Faelen. There was a fresh layer of snow on the ground from the previous night, making it difficult to walk. It took him almost a half hour longer than it usually did to make it to the guild. When he finally arrived, everyone was already there. He wasn't that late was he?

He saw Levy and made his way over to her. She saw him approach and a wide grin spread across her face. "How did everything go yesterday? Kalea seemed to be in a pretty good mood by the end of the day," she said.

"I think it went pretty well actually. I got almost everything I needed. I just need you to take the pictures I explained yesterday and tonight I can put it all together," said Fenris.

"Let me have it then! I'm excited to try it out, I studied up on lighting last night and I think I can get some good ones," Levy said.

Fenris laughed internally, Levy would use any excuse to read. Giving her the camera, Fenris went around, explaining his plan to everyone he could. Like yesterday, they all eagerly agreed, happy to be part of his plans. He only needed a few more pictures and then he'd need everyone to distract Kalea while he put it all together.

Yesterday, he had been the one taking the pictures so he needed to keep Kalea away from him, but today he wanted to spend all day with her. He needed to do this for his plan to work, but inside, he knew he was also using it as an excuse to be close to her. There was something about her presence that made him comfortable. He just didn't know why.

He found her at the bar, talking with Mira. Mira spotted him and, a mischievous looked on her face, called him over. Kalea turned at his name and waved at him. He felt his chest tighten slightly when he saw her wave at him.

_Why does that always happen…_he thought to himself.

"Hey Fenris! Excited about tomorrow?" Mira asked him. He had a small suspicion that was a loaded question. Although he hadn't told Natsu and Gray who he got for Secret Santa, he did tell Levy. He had a feeling she might've let slip who he got to some of the members. Who was he kidding, all of the members.

"Yeah, Christmas is always exciting," he responded, giving her a look. She smirked at him behind Kalea's back.

"Did you get your present ready for your Secret Santa?" Kalea asked him.

Taken by surprise at the question, Fenris stuttered. "Uh, y-yeah I did! Nothing that special. I couldn't really thinking of anything for my person but I figured it out. I'm not great with presents. What about you?"

He thought her face redden slightly but her voice didn't change as she said, "Yeah I got mine all sorted."

Wanting to change the subject, he said, "So what do you wanna do today? We still have a while until things start up tonight."

"Hmmm. I'm not sure. Did you have any plans?" she asked.

"I have something in mind," he said.

"What was it?" Kalea asked.

"Oh you'll see," he said mysteriously.

She gave him a questioning look but he didn't elaborate. He saw Levy snapping pictures around the guild and, worried Kalea might see, took her hand and said, "Let's go sit down at a table. Faelen's waiting for me."

The day went by without a hitch. He spent it laughing and drinking with Kalea, joined by members of the guild periodically. They shared a cake with Erza, had a drinking contest with Cana, and playing Christmas games with Elfman and Mira. Other members joined them throughout the day, such as Jet and Droy, to share in the revelry. In the background, he saw Levy taking pictures nonstop. He knew he'd have a hard time finding the best ones.

Around evening, everyone sat down for dinner. One long table was set in the middle of the room, allowing them all to share the meal together. Fenris sat next to Kalea and Erza, with Faelen laying down underneath the table. Fenris had a feeling he'd be roaming around the room in a few minutes.

As they ate, Fenris thought about his present. Although he thought it was a good idea, he was worried it wouldn't be enough. Was it meaningful enough? Did she even like things like this? He glanced at Kalea, who was laughing with Levy and Mira, who sat across from them. There was no going back now.

Across from him, Natsu shouted, "Fenris! Whoever eats the most food before dinner is over wins!"

Despite the vagueness of the challenge, Fenris said, "Bring it on!"

Two hours later, Fenris sat with a bloated stomach, watching as Natsu cheered his victory. He didn't like to admit defeat to him, but he couldn't eat anymore. Everyone cheered Natsu on as they gathered around the stage. Mira got on stage and the room fell silent. She always sang holiday songs on Christmas Eve, and occasionally other members would come up to sing with her. When she started singing, Fenris felt extremely content. There was something about Mira's voice that made him feel as if everything was going to be alright.

About an hour later, someone tapped his shoulder. Levy gave him a significant look as he turned and saw her watching Kalea. Her hands were behind her back, hiding his camera. Kalea seemed plenty distracted by the concert going on so Fenris got up and went to the back of the crowd with Levy.

"I think I've gotten all I can today," Levy said.

Fenris nodded and said, "It looked like you got a lot. Thanks so much Levy, I really appreciate everything. Do you think you can sneak in and take my spot? I have to figure out what pictures I'm gonna be using but I don't want her seeing me."

Levy agreed and went back to his spot. He walked over to the bar and sat down. Out of his backpack, he took the large frame he had also bought from the photography store. The owner of the store had explained how to print the photos directly from the camera to him using magic. There was a small opening near the bottom of the camera where a button was located. Unfortunately, there was no way to choose a specific photo so he had to print out everything the camera had captured that day. He took out the photos from yesterday, having printed them out last night, and pressed the button. The photos started coming out and he was forced to wait. It took ten minutes for everything to print out and, once the camera was finished, he spread everything out on the bar. Then he got to work.

Groaning and stretching his arms, he stood back a little while later, admiring his creation. Although he thought it looked good, he hoped Kalea would like it. There was just one more thing he needed to do. Taking a piece of paper and a pen from his backpack, he sat back down and placed the pen tip on the paper. He hesitated, wondering where he should start. A cheer from the crowd caused him to look back towards the stage. There, he saw Kalea laughing with Levy. He studied her face, the look of pure joy, and knew what he needed to say.

He turned back to his paper and began writing.

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Fenris woke to a warm, wet sensation. Opening his eyes, he saw Faelen slobbering on his face.

"Ugh get off!" he said to Faelen.

Barking, Faelen hopped off him and ran around the room, waking others who were sleeping in their sleeping bags. After Fenris had finished his letter, he wrapped his present and put it under the tree without anyone noticing. He watched the rest of the concert with the others and then, after eating some dessert they all finally went to bed.

Rubbing his eyes, he saw others begin to wake up, mainly from Faelen's slobbering. He got up and went to the bar, ordering food from Mira, who was already up and cooking. Christmas, just like Thanksgiving, was a busy time for her. She usually spent most of the day cooking.

"Hey Fenris, would you like some breakfast?" she asked him.

"That'd be great Mira. When did you wake up?" he asked.

"Oh I've been awake for hours. All the food I'm making is going to take a while to make," she said.

Feeling bad for her, Fenris said, "Do you need any help? I'd be happy to do something."

Shaking her head, Mira placed a plate in front of him. "No Fenris that's okay. I'm used to this. I gotta get back to cooking though so I'll see you later!"

She bustled back into the kitchen, leaving him to his food. As he ate, Natsu came up to him, groaning.

"I need fooooooood," he moaned.

Rolling his eyes, Fenris said, "Mira is cooking now jeez. She'll be back out in a second."

Groaning even more, Natsu slammed his head onto the bar. Fenris thought he heard snoring and laughed, finishing his last bite. Leaving Natsu to his own endeavors, Fenris went to a separate room to get dressed. Every Christmas, everyone was obligated to wear a Christmas sweater all day. Fenris didn't particularly enjoy this tradition, but he couldn't ignore Mira's innocent face when she begged him to wear one. When he came out with his sweater, he saw most people were already wearing theirs. They must've put them on before going to bed.

He joined Kalea, who was sitting on a bean bag chair, and said, "Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas Fenris!" she responded.

"You excited for presents later?" he asked.

She nodded but said, "Yes that's always a fun time. But I enjoy everything about Christmas, not just presents. It's always a fun day."

She was right about that.

The day was spent playing games, eating food, and drinking. It started off with a game of Christmas Pictionary involving everyone. They spread out in groups of five, since there were so many people, and the team with the most points won a box of Christmas cookies. Fenris was teamed up with Natsu, Gray, Jet, and Droy. Fenris always tried including Faelen, but everyone complained he couldn't technically guess what the subject was.

It was Natsu's turn now, and they were losing badly. Natsu was a terrible artist. On the paper, Fenris thought he saw what looked like a person chugging a beer.

"Jingle bells!" guessed Gray.

"We wish you a Merry Christmas!" Fenris said.

A few more guesses and then Mira shouted, "Time's up!"

Natsu crumbled the paper and threw it at them.

"It was Oh Holy Night you idiots!" he screamed.

"How in the hell was that Oh Holy Night?!" Gray exclaimed.

Needless to say they did not win the first game.

After a few rounds of a Christmas Wrapping competition, a Christmas trivia competition, and a movie drinking game, it was already time for lunch. Everyone gathered around again, eating some of Mira's delicious food.

Fenris spotted Natsu attempting to sneak a dessert under the table and shouted, "Oy Natsu! Don't go stealing any desserts! This was _your _idea. You gotta stick to your own bet."

Looking agitated, Natsu threw the dessert back on the table and crossed his arms, scowling at Fenris. After lunch, they all went to the stage for a musical contest. Mira sang, Elfman played the piano, Jet and Droy sang a duet, and a few more members went on stage to show their talent.

After Mira, of course, was declared the winner, they went back to smaller groups and relaxed. It was almost evening, meaning it was almost time for dinner and then presents.

"Have you seen that strange guy you mentioned a couple weeks ago?" Kalea asked Fenris. They were sitting on a bean bag chair, watching Natsu chase Gray with a snowball.

Caught off guard, Fenris said, "Actually…I have seen him a few times. Do you actually believe me about him?"

"If you say you saw him, I believe you," she said.

"Well, the last time I saw him was actually two days ago. He was standing in front of some store in town but I still couldn't reach him. He walked into the store but when I got there, the store was closed and the door was locked. I have no clue how he keeps doing it," Fenris said.

Kalea looked like she was thinking when they were interrupted by Gray.

"Hey! We're gonna eat dinner soon. Come help set up the table Fenris," he said.

"Don't worry. We'll figure it out Fenris, I'll think about it while we set up," said Kalea.

After setting the table, they sat down to Mira's delicious cooking. Their lunch was a joke compared to dinner. There was a giant turkey, piles of mashed potatoes, so many pies Fenris lost track, rolls the size of his fist, and countless other things Fenris felt his mouth drool. Below him, Faelen whined.

"I'll get you your own plate don't worry," he told him.

Fenris fell into a food coma as he stuffed himself on turkey and the rolls. He always had a soft spot for baked bread. After tasting every single pie on the table, he looked over at Kalea. She was still on her first plate of turkey and mashed potatoes.

"How do you always eat so fast?" she asked him.

Shrugging, his mouth full, he took yet another bite of pie. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Natsu and the others who were part of the bet looking disappointed as they watched everyone eat their desserts. He felt a small pang of guilt. He knew he'd be the same way if he couldn't eat any desserts on Christmas.

Swallowing his food, Fenris said, "Hey Natsu!"

He threw him plates for the five of them and tossed the pie towards him. "Bet's off. Go ahead and eat," Fenris said.

The joy on their faces made Fenris laugh. It was Christmas, everyone deserved to be happy today.

After dinner, it was time for presents. Suddenly feeling nervous, Fenris eyed his present. The Master had everyone sit down and passed out the presents. One by one, everyone opened their presents. They took turns so that they all had a chance to admire the gifts they were given. Natsu was given a flame-proof blanket by Erza. Gray was given a set of clothes that had a buckle that was difficult to unhook by Mira. Levy was given a new set of books by Elfman. Overall, everyone seemed to know exactly what they should get for their Secret Santa, making Fenris even more nervous.

Soon enough, it was Kalea's turn. Fenris felt his hands start to shake. She wouldn't know who gave her the present until after. Master preferred them to open their gifts, then the person who gave it to them would raise their hand. Kalea slowly unwrapped the gift and took out a large box. Opening the top, she took out the frame. She stared at it, not reacting for a few moments. Then, he saw a tear roll down her cheek. She gave a small smile and touched the center picture. Natsu came over and looked over her shoulder.

The frame was a collage of many smaller frames, all with pictures both he and Levy had taken over the past couple of days. They showed individual members closer to the outside of the frame. From Erza eating a cake, to Natsu laughing with Happy, it showed every member of the guild. As your eye wandered closer to the middle of the collage, the pictures started to include members with Kalea. Levy and Kalea enjoying a book together, Mira giving Kalea a warm hug, even Master drinking from a mug with Kalea.

In the center, where all the pictures met, was Kalea, Fenris, and Faelen. Faelen was on top of a table, licking Kalea's cheek. Both her and Fenris were laughing, looking at each other with fond eyes.

Tears steadily streamed down her cheeks when the note he left her slipped out of the center frame onto the floor. She took the note and opened it up. Fenris could see over her shoulder what it read.

"Kalea,

Having known you for so long, I've come to understand that happiness doesn't come easy for you. I know how lonely you've felt these last few years. I know how hard it is to accept others into your life.

But just know this. You aren't alone anymore. You have us. Your friends. Your family. We will _always _be there for you. No matter what happens from this point on. Remember that you're loved. By everyone."

Fenris had a hard time coming up with his note. He still didn't really like it, but it was all he could think. He had to rewrite it, having unintentionally written "I" instead of "we" in the second paragraph.

He watched on as Kalea stared at the note. It was a short one, he wasn't sure why she was taking so long to read it. Suddenly, she threw herself onto him, hugging him tightly. Fenris hesitated, before wrapping his arms around her and hugging her back.

Cheers broke out among the crowd. The Master was beaming at them. "Well! I don't think I need to announce who your Secret Santa was Kalea. Fenris, I must say that is one of the best gifts I've seen in years."

Fenris didn't hear them. His focus was entirely on Kalea as she whispered into his shoulder, "Thank you so much Fenris. This means so much to me…"

He smiled and said, "Merry Christmas Kalea."

"Merry Christmas Fenris."

It took them a few moments to compose themselves as the cheers died out.

"Now! I know we just had a special present but we do still have others who need to open theirs. Fenris, I believe you're next," Master said.

Fenris looked down at the box in front of him. It was rather small, but it was wrapped with care. He had no clue what it could be. Unwrapping it, he saw it looked like a jewelry box. Curious, he opened the box and took out a small, silver chain. On the chain was a silver pendant in the shape of a wolf's head. He held it in his hands and turned it around. The back had his and Faelen's names engraved on it.

Fenris couldn't help but smile at it. This was one of the most thoughtful gifts he had ever received. And he knew exactly who gave it to him. Turning, he wrapped his arms around Kalea, giving her another hug.

"Thank you so much. This is incredible," he said to her.

She hugged him back, saying, "Are you sure? It's the best I could find…"

"Yes. This is the best gift I've ever had. Thank you Kalea," he said.

"Well, this was the easiest exchange we've had yet," laughed Master Makarov.

The rest of the guild opened their presents as Fenris admired his gift.

"The chain and pendant are both made of pure silver," Kalea said, watching as he put it around his neck.

"Seriously? How much did this cost? Kalea this must've been crazy expensive," he said to her.

She looked away shyly, saying, "It doesn't matter. It's what I wanted to give you."

Fenris decided to drop it. It was Christmas and it was an extremely thoughtful gift. A twinkle near the door caught his attention. In front of the door, he saw the stranger. Nobody else seemed to notice him. The man was looking at Fenris with a warm expression. He had a bushy white beard with pure white hair tied in a small ponytail behind him.

As they stared at each other, the man winked at Fenris. Fenris blinked, and he was gone. Fenris didn't think he'd ever uncover the mystery of the stranger. But he didn't seem dangerous. In fact, he seemed almost helpful. Every time he saw the stranger, Fenris had been trying to figure out some sort of problem. And every time he disappeared, Fenris' problem had been solved. Silently thanking the man, Fenris turned back to the group.

Everyone was admiring their presents now. Kalea was surrounded by a group of people, all talking about the pictures in the collage. As he watched them, Faelen came up to him and licked his face. Fenris smiled fondly at his best friend and patted him on the head.

There really was nowhere he'd rather be during Christmas than with his Fairy Tail family.

**Author's note:**

**And that's all! I will be traveling for Christmas and New Years, so I will most likely not be adding anymore chapters until after the New Year. Merry Christmas and happy holidays to everyone and I will see you all next year!**


	13. Chapter 9

**Author's note:**

**Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a fun one. I'm back with a new chapter and hopefully I'll be able to get into my usual once a week chapter now that things are settling down again. This chapter introduces Lucy so we've finally reached the beginning of the anime. As I mentioned before, this story is about Fenris so he won't be joining in every anime arc. Many of his adventures will be original arcs. This chapter and the next chapter will be a bit of fluff but after the next chapter, we'll start getting into a lot more progression with the story and with Fenris and Kalea's relationship. As always, hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. That privilege belongs to Hiro Mashima**

It started out as any other day in the guild. Natsu had gone on a mission a few days ago to find someone called "Salamander." Fenris had no idea who that could be since the only Salamander he knew was Natsu himself. Krov had been the one to tell Natsu about this Salamander character.

"You know Krov, I don't think Natsu will take it very well if you were wrong about whoever this Salamander guy is," said Fenris.

Krov laughed. "Yeah I know. He already destroyed half of Hargeon, look!" shouted Krov.

He shoved a newspaper under Fenris's eyes and he noticed the front page. It was a picture of an entire block of Hargeon that was completely demolished. On top of the rubble was… Natsu and Happy. Laughing.

Fenris sighed. "Master is gonna be pissed again. This is like the second time in two weeks that Natsu destroyed half a town." Krov simply laughed again.

Suddenly the door was thrown open and a familiar voice screamed, "WE'RE HOME!"

"Natsu…" sighed Fenris and Kalea. He hadn't even noticed her appear beside him. He glanced over to her but she was preoccupied with the front door.

Fenris watched as Krov began laughing at Natsu about the Hargeon incident… and then Natsu kicked him straight in the face.

"I told you man," said Fenris.

Natsu began yelling at Krov about the Salamander when he threw a chair across the room that smashed into Elfman. A few seconds later a fight ensued. Fenris smirked and cracked his knuckles.

"I take it you're joining in?" asked Kalea.

He cracked a wide smile at her.

"Of course," he said.

A few minutes after joining the fight, the Master came out in his giant form. Everyone immediately stopped fighting except Natsu.

He laughed and said, "Dwa hahaha! You're all scared of that?! Then I claim victory in this battle-"

The Master proceeded to squash him with one foot. That was when everyone noticed the new girl standing near the bar. The key features Fenris took in at first glance were that she was tall, blonde, and had huge… assets.

Once the Master shrunk back to normal size he jumped up to the top railing. He read aloud how everyone had gotten in trouble with the magic council, including Fenris. He and Kalea had stopped a bandit from robbing a caravan but had accidentally destroyed two of the carts.

"All of you have done nothing but make the Council angry at me!" he shouted.

He seemed angry before a small smile appeared on his face.

"But…"

The documents he was holding went up in flames. He threw them down for Natsu to eat.

"The Council can eat crap for all I care!" the Master continued. "Listen…ours is a power that goes beyond the bounds of reason. But it is born out of reason itself. Magic isn't some miracle. What we do is match the energy that flows between us with the wavelength of the world's natural energy and take what is embodied in that union using our force of will and concentration. More than that, we pour our entire soul into it to make what we call magic. If you spend time worrying about what those in the authority think of you, your magic will never advance! So don't let those idiots on the Council intimidate you! Follow the path you truly believe in! That is what it means to be a Fairy Tail wizard!"

After he finished his speech, the entire guild cheered. The Master always knew how to lift the spirits of everyone in the guild. Once things settled down, people began gossiping about the new member. Fenris, Gray, Cana, Kalea, and Elfman were sitting down at a table looking over at her.

"Dude… she's hot," said Gray.

"She's manly!" shouted Elfman.

"Uhhhh… no. But seriously, Fenris. Dude you gotta admit she's pretty damn attractive," Gray said to Fenris.

Before Fenris could respond, he noticed Kalea watching him. She had a strange look in her eyes.

"Uhhhhhh… she's alright I guess," said Fenris.

Gray eyed him. "Uh huh. Sure Fenris."

They continued talking about Lucy for a while until everyone needed a refresher. They went to get more drinks, leaving Fenris and Kalea alone at the table.

"So… what _do_you think of Lucy?" she asked him.

He looked at her. "I wasn't lying before. She's alright. Personally, she's not really my type," said Fenris.

Kalea looked at him. He couldn't read what she was thinking. She eyed him for a few more moments before getting up to get herself a drink. He sighed, watching her walk away.

"I wonder why she cares…" he muttered.

Realizing he was also thirsty, Fenris followed her to the bar. As they were sitting at the bar, he heard Mira talking to the new girl. She was telling Lucy about why Natsu had reacted so strongly to the Master when Romeo asked about his father. He heard her last few words.

"Mages of Fairy Tail are all… carrying something. Wounds… pains… sufferings…" she said.

He thought of home. Then he thought of Kalea. He glanced over at her. She was staring at the glass in front of her. Her hands were shaking. _She's right… we've all suffered a great deal. But that's what makes us Fairy Tail mages. We don't let it define who we are… at least… most of the time._

Over the next few months, Lucy integrated seamlessly into the guild. After their adventures in finding Macao and taking out that creepy Everlue guy, everyone loved her and she had become best friends with Levy. Kalea was also good friends with Levy, which meant that whenever she was hanging out with Levy at the guild, Lucy was there.

Fenris noticed a change in Kalea when this started happening. She began to spend less and less time with Levy. She'd laugh a little less. Talk a little less. It worried Fenris. Kalea had a tendency to crawl back into her shell when she felt uncomfortable. And Fenris always had a hard time getting her back out. It was never as bad as when she first arrived to the guild. But he worried one of these days he wouldn't be able to bring her back.

A few days after Team Natsu had gotten back from the Everlue mansion, Natsu was telling Fenris and Gray about some huge maid he fought. As he told them the story, Fenris noticed Lucy enter the guild and walk over to Levy. Kalea and Levy had been chatting by the bar as she approached. When Kalea noticed her, she seemed to make some sort of excuse and left the guild. Fenris watched her leave, forgetting about Natsu's conversation until someone knocked him on the back of the head.

"Hey! I'm talkin to you Fenris. What's your problem?!" shouted Natsu.

Gray smirked. "He can't take his eyes off Kalea wherever she goes."

Fenris' eye twitched. He punched Gray in the stomach. Natsu kicked Fenris in the shin. And another fight began.

.

.

.

Two hours later, Fenris sat leaning against the bar trying to catch his breath. The fight was finally over and he was exhausted. He glanced around and saw everyone else in the same position. Eventually, everyone got back up and resumed what they were doing before the fight. Fenris sat back down at his table and noticed Lucy standing by the job board.

He heard Mira call her over and tell her that once she picked a job to let her know since the Master was at his meeting with the other guild Masters. Lucy began asking about the regular meeting and Fenris stopped paying attention. He already knew about this so it didn't really interest him. He just wanted to lay his head on the table and rest. It still hurt from the fight earlier.

He closed his eyes and was about to rest when he heard someone shout, "ERZA IS BACK!"

He shot up. He hadn't seen Erza in a while since she had taken on her last mission. Everyone started freaking out, which wasn't unusual. Erza had gotten a lot stronger as they grew up. And ever since she reached S-Class… well… nobody messed with her.

He saw her walk in carrying a gigantic horn from some monster. As she began berating everyone about how they all have messed up she turned her head to Fenris. He gulped.

"Fenris! I saw Kalea walking past me down the streets of Magnolia. And she did not look at all happy. What exactly did you do to her?" she asked him.

He raised up his hands in protest. "Hey, hey wait a second. I didn't do anything sh-" Erza sent him a death glare and he shut up.

As she turned back to Natsu and Gray she began telling them about some important mission she needed their help with. Fenris wasn't paying attention though. He was thinking about Kalea and what Erza said. It bothered him.

As he continued pondering her, he noticed Gray, Natsu, and Erza leave the guild. Then he saw Mira and Lucy talking and Lucy proceeded to run after the group with Happy flying after her. Fenris figured Mira had sent Lucy to look after Gray and Natsu since they would most likely kill each other during whatever mission they were going on.

Then he noticed Mira. She was giving him a look that told him she knew something he didn't. He also knew how much she loved to meddle in everyone's lives in the guild. She was pretty famous for that so he decided to investigate. With Faelen in tow, he marched up to the bar and sat down right in front of her.

"Alright Mira, how come Kalea left earlier. I know you know something. You always know something. So spill it," he said to her.

Mira giggled. "Oh Fen. Kalea was just a little worried about a rumor that's been going around the guild," she said.

"What rumor are you talking about?" he asked.

She giggled again. That was beginning to irritate him. He ticked his eyebrow in annoyance.

"Come on Mira. Erza said she saw Kalea walking down the street and she looked upset. She left the guild earlier without an explanation. What the hell is this rumor?" he asked her.

"Welllllll there's a rumor going around that you have a thing for Lucy," Mira said. "Levy and I were discussing how popular Lucy was getting around here and how all the guys were trying to hit on her. Levy asked me if I thought any of the guys had a crush on her and I may have mentioned your name… and Kalea just HAPPENED to be sitting a few seats down and I think she may have overheard me. That's when I saw her get up and leave," she said all this with a smile. And once she was done she began giggling again.

As Mira finished, Fenris gaped at her, saying, "WHOA. Who the hell told you I thought Lucy was attractive or I had some kind of crush on her? Cause it certainly wasn't me. And I don't. Let's go ahead and get that straight right now. She is not even close to my type."

_I mean sure she isn't the ugliest girl obviously. I'm just not interested in her like that. I prefer brunettes anyway but no way am I going to tell Mira that, _he thought.

"Oh really? So then what _is _your type Fen?" Mira asked. Fenris looked away from her. It's like she could read minds or something.

"Doesn't matter. Anyway, why would you saying that, EVEN THOUGH IT ISN'T TRUE, make her storm off? The conversation wasn't even about her," he said to Mira.

"Well maybe… that's exactly why it made her mad," said Mira thoughtfully.

"She's not the type of person who cares about that kind of thing," said Fenris.

"Oh Fen," Mira sighed. "I think you have a lot to learn. There's a reason Kalea reacted the way she did. But I'm not going to tell you. You need to figure this out yourself. I think it's important that you do."

That confused him.

He sighed. "Fineeee, fine. I guess I need to go find her then and figure it out."

He began walking away when Mira grabbed his arm. "Wait. I wouldn't do that. Not with Kalea. Being upfront with her doesn't always go so well. I think what she needs is time. And also...she needs to see that what I said isn't true. I said it more for her benefit than for yours anyway," said Mira.

"How the hell was what you said beneficial in anyway if it was just a big fat lie?" asked Fenris.

Mira simply smiled at him. "You'll see eventually. For now, just leave her be." She went back to cleaning up the bar and taking some orders from another guild member.

As Fenris was walking back to his apartment that night, Faelen perked his ears. Through him, Fenris sensed Kalea nearby. They were walking next to the river in the park and Fenris picked up her trail near a tree. Fenris looked up. It was always the same spot with her. He cautiously walked over to the tree and poked his head out from behind it.

Kalea was sitting there, knees pulled up to her face, staring out at the river. Faelen walked around the tree and bumped her arm with his head. She started but when she saw it was him she smiled. She began petting him and, without looking up, said, "Do you need something Fenris?"

Fenris walked out from behind the tree and sat down next to her. A few feet away. He thought back to Mira's words. Although she told him to leave her alone for now, Fenris didn't want some stupid rumor to effect his and Kalea's relationship.

"Nah. Faelen and I were just strolling along and I thought this would be a good place to rest. It's really peaceful out tonight," said Fenris.

She didn't respond. He decided he'd wait. Like Mira said, it wasn't smart to push Kalea. She could relapse easily. Fenris did his best when this happened, but he couldn't always bring her back. Sometimes it took time. These occurrences were becoming less frequent as they grew older.

So, he closed his eyes and began meditating. As was his habit, he began levitating without realizing it. As his powers grew, during his meditations he would levitate without even trying. It had become such as regular occurrence he never really realized he was doing it.

"How do you do that?" came Kalea's voice.

He opened one eye and smiled. "I don't really know actually. It's just part of who I am. At first I had to really try to be able to achieve this. I would have to think hard about regulating the energy around me to create a sense of weightlessness. But over time, I stopped thinking and it just continued. It's part of my ability, but other than that I don't really know how I do it," was his response.

She looked at him. "Even though I have your powers I still can't do it. I've tried. But it never seems to work."

"I'm sure you'll get it eventually. You're strong," said Fenris.

She looked away. He pressed on.

"So… is anything bothering you? I noticed you left today in a hurry," he said.

"I don't know. I just… wanted to," she said.

"So there was no reason at all? Nothing happened back at the guild?" he said.

She hesitated.

"I mean…I heard something. It wasn't that big of a deal. Then I saw you and I just…needed to leave," she said.

"Sooooo… what was…this rumor?" he asked.

Silence.

He didn't push her on the subject. Although he wanted to hear what she had to say, he would wait. He was used to waiting with Kalea.

Then, a few minutes later, she said, "Fenris. I have a question for you. And I need you to just answer please. Don't ask me why I'm asking," she said.

That made him worried. "Uhhhh, sure."

"What do you think of Lucy?" she asked.

This caught him by surprise. He didn't really know what to say. Kalea had never asked anything like this before. He thought for a moment.

"I mean she's nice," Fenris said. "I haven't honestly talked to her much since she got here. She's been on a few missions with Natsu so we haven't really had the chance to have very long conversations. Or she's with Levy. So I mean I don't know. She seems genuine I guess. She's also honest. She stands up for what she believes in and doesn't take things lying down. Confidence. That's a pretty accurate word to describe her I think."

He saw her widen her eyes for a second.

Then she said, "So… you like that she's confident?"

"I mean I didn't say that. I was just saying that's a good word to describe her," he said.

Kalea looked away again. Fenris didn't understand why she seemed so sad all of a sudden.

"So… do you like confidence?" she asked.

"I mean, it certainly isn't a bad thing. She knows what she wants. Nothing wrong with that," he said.

Her gaze drifted to the river. "Is…there anything else?"

"Well like I said I don't really know her too well yet," he responded. "That blonde hair is something I guess. It's like really bright it kind of reminds me of the sun at times. That's all I can really say about her since I don't know her yet."

"So you think she's attractive?" asked Kalea.

Fenris hesitated. Where was this coming from? Sure she was pretty. But he wasn't attracted to her. There were plenty of pretty girls in the guild, Kalea included. Being attracted to someone was different though.

"Well… that depends," he said slowly. "She isn't ugly. Nobody in the guild is all that ugly besides Natsu and Gray. But if you're asking if she's attractive as in I like her or something then no. I think I've said this before but I can't remember. But she's not my type."

"Well… do you have a type?" she asked.

He stared at her. Wondering why she asked. He had never really thought about having a "type" besides liking brunette hair. Did he have a type of girl? When he thought of it, he thought of personality traits he admired in everyone. He liked people who were strong, and who weren't afraid of a challenge, and who could hold their own in a fight. This reminded him of Erza but he knew she wasn't his type. Way too scary.

So what else? He liked honesty. He liked sincerity. People who were caring and kind. He also liked girls who were shorter than him for sure. Although that wasn't too difficult since he was six feet tall now. And he liked brown hair… probably on the lighter side… and he liked… he stopped.

He shook his head. Someone had just popped in his head. But he dismissed it. Faelen looked at him and he knew what he was thinking. _You're wrong Faelen_, he thought. The wolf barked.

"Ummmm… I'm not really sure. I suppose…" He trailed off. He wasn't sure why he hesitated, but something stopped him from continuing.

She looked away. Since it was dark he couldn't really see her face. Then a thought popped up into his head.

"What about you. Do you have a type?" he asked.

She didn't respond. Fenris wasn't surprised. He hadn't answered her. Why would she answer him? Suddenly, Kalea shot up and started walking away. He looked after her in silence. Had he messed up? He thought he did well in disproving that dumb rumor. But maybe not.

She stopped a few yards away from him and looked back over her shoulder. "I like guys who… aren't afraid. Who are brave and are willing to fight for who they care about."

And she continued walking.

Fenris was silent. _What did that mean, _he thought. Now he felt bad for not answering her. Faelen walked over and bumped his head against Fenris'. Groaning, Fenris got up and started walking back to his apartment.

As he sat in bed staring out the window, he thought back to what Kalea had said. He thought back to her eyes when she said that. They had seemed so… sad. And lonely. He felt a pressure in his chest. It was a familiar feeling. He had felt this way before when thinking about her. Only this time it was way more intense. He didn't understand what it meant.

He didn't sleep that night.

.

.

.

When Team Natsu got back from the fiasco with the Lullaby flute they were greeted with a huge party from the guild. Since they had saved all the Masters everyone thought they deserved it.

First of course, Natsu had to save Erza from the council. Once that was over, and he got into even more trouble with them, the party began. They held it a few days after Erza and Natsu returned from the council. Cana had provided the… refreshments and the party began that day.

As everyone started drinking and laughing, things escalated quickly. Gray started to ride Faelen around, which earned him a bite to the arm, which then led him to trying to fight Faelen, which led him to hitting Natsu. And then a fight ensued.

Fenris stayed out of this one because he was busy having a drinking contest with Elfman. The further into the contest, the less he was able to… well… think.

Eventually, Elfman was declared the victor and Fenris found himself sitting at a broken table with Faelen, Levy, Gray, Erza, Lucy, Natsu, and Kalea. They were chatting about how the mission went when Fenris shot out of his seat and ran over to where Kalea sat.

As Fenris sat there, his mind wandered. His thoughts were all mixed up. He tried to concentrate on Natu's story, but he was having a hard time keeping up. His eyes made their way to Kalea. And their conversation in the park.

"Kalea," he said. She looked at him. His sudden outburst caught everyone's attention.

"I…wnna fht wit u…" he stumbled over his words.

Kalea cocked one eyebrow. "What?"

He shot up, knocking his chair down. "I CHALNNGE U!"

Kalea stared at him in shock. "Fenris what're yo-"

Fenris lunged at her. He had no idea what was coming over him. The alcohol was taking over. He tried to jump over the table at her, but couldn't get any momentum. He half jumped, half fell over the table, knocking Kalea to the ground.

Next thing he knew, his face was mere inches away from hers. She looked up at him, eyes wide. He looked down at her. His mind was running at full speed. His drunkenness was completely overriding his sense of… well… not being an idiot.

He muttered, "Kalea…"

He saw her cheeks flush. And that simple act cleared his head at once. He suddenly realized how close he was to her. But he still didn't move. It was like time had stopped. He couldn't stop looking into her eyes. He realized… they were really beautiful. Then he realized… so was her nose, and her cheeks, and her lips…

He stared at her lips. They were slightly parted. Kalea was still looking at him. He was surprised she hadn't thrown him off yet. Then suddenly, before he knew what was going on… Natsu was thrown into him. Knocking him into a wall. He shoved Natsu off and looked up. Kalea was running out the door.

He stared after her. Then he thought back to before. _She really is beautiful…_he thought.

**Author's note:**

**There we are! As I mentioned, the next chapter will also be a bit of a fluff chapter and then we'll start getting into some more serious stuff. See you next time!**


	14. Chapter 10

**Author's note:**

**Welcome back! This chapter concludes the rest of the "fluff" from last chapter. I do apologize if this and the last chapter were a bit bland. These are more of my transition chapters into more important chapters that will be coming up. As always, hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. That privilege belongs to Hiro Mashima**

After the incident with Kalea, she seemed to be ignoring Fenris. Whenever she entered the guild, she made sure to sit at tables on the complete opposite side of the guild hall. He tried to talk to her, but whenever he approached she would get up and either go to the bar or leave the guild hall.

One morning, Gray asked, "What's up with Kalea? She's been pretty distant from you lately. Actually, when was the last time you guys even hung out?"

"It's been a while…" said Fenris.

He didn't know why she wasn't speaking to him. But he missed it. He missed her voice. He missed her.

.

.

.

This went on for another two months. During this time, Natsu had stolen an S-Class mission and Gray and Erza had left to find him. It turned out Lucy and Happy had ended up going along too so Fenris knew they were in trouble.

While they were gone, Fenris went on a lot of solo missions with Faelen. Since Kalea no longer hung out with him, it was just the two of them.

He also trained a lot. He found that was the only way to take his mind off of Kalea. And because of this, he trained hard. His powers developed at a rapid rate. Soon enough, he was able to channel his abilities through just one hand when before it took two.

Then, one day he got fed up with the situation and went to Mira. She had to know why Kalea was acting this way. He walked up to the bar in the afternoon and sat in front of her. She was casually clearing the table of some mugs but paused when she saw Fenris.

She smiled at him. "Hello Fen. What can I get you today?"

"Information," he said. "More specifically about Kalea. Why is she ignoring me? It's been months since the last time she spoke to me. I-" he cut himself off. Mira didn't need to know he missed her.

"You miss her don't you," said Mira.

Well there goes that.

"To answer your question… yes I know why," she said. "But it's not my answer to give. And it's not yours to ask either Fen. I don't say this to be mean. But this is her personal business. She… no. It's not my right to say. Look. You just have to give her time. She'll come around again. Believe me. I don't think she'll be able to keep this up. Staying away from you… I don't think she enjoys it either."

"Then why would she even do it in the first place?" he asked.

"Fen. I told you I can't say. I have a feeling she'll soon come around though," she said.

On the way back to his apartment that afternoon, Fenris sensed someone ahead of him. Someone he missed dearly. He looked up and saw Kalea walking a few blocks in front of him. He was about to shout her name when he saw someone walking beside her. It was a guy.

He froze in place.

Faelen growled.

_Who is that with her, _he thought.

Fenris decided to tail them. Using his powers, he enhanced his eyesight so he could stay far enough away but still see where they were headed. As they continued walking through the streets, he saw them enter a restaurant near Kalea's apartment. She had moved in with Levy recently to cut down on her rent.

He chanced sneaking up to the restaurant to get a closer view through the window. People were staring at him as they walked past the building. He didn't care though.

He saw them sit at a table and begin to talk. He could have enhanced his hearing to hear them but he found his stomach wouldn't allow him to. Every time he thought about hearing her talk to this guy it made him want to be sick.

He continued watching as they talked, then ate, then talked some more. Kalea was smiling. It pained him to see her smile with this random guy. After about an hour, they got up to leave.

Fenris quickly ran up the street but realized it was getting dark and there were less people walking around now. He knew Kalea would see him if he followed them on the ground so he focused all his power into his feet, and jumped. He jumped high up onto the roof of one of the buildings near him. Faelen easily made the jump after him. Fenris was always impressed by what the wolf could do even without magic.

He saw them walk out of the restaurant and continue down the few blocks to her apartment. He saw the guy reach out for her hand and grab it. Kalea didn't protest. But it didn't look as though she held it back either.

They reached the door to her apartment and stopped. He couldn't take it anymore. He enhanced his hearing and focused it on them. After a few moments of silence, he heard the man's voice.

"I really enjoyed our meal tonight Kalea. I hope you enjoyed it as well?" he heard the man ask. He sounded like a snob.

"Yes it was… nice," said Kalea.

The guy didn't seem to hear her lack of enthusiasm. Instead, he said, "Excellent! I do hope you will grace me with your beautiful presence again some time?"

He saw Kalea blush at the word beautiful. He gripped a tile on the roof so hard it shattered. Luckily he was too far for them to hear.

"Ummmm… I think," she said hesitantly. "Not. I'm sorry Jarred. You're a really, really nice guy. And I really did have fun. It's just that… I think this was a mistake. It's not anything about you. Any girl would be lucky to go out with you on a date like that. It's just… I don't think I'm one of those girls."

"Oh… ummm. Well. Can I at least… kiss you good night?" he asked. Fenris froze.

So did Kalea.

The Jarred guy leaned in and Kalea didn't seem to signal to stop. Just as he was mere centimeters from her lips, Kalea swung her head to the side, causing him to kiss her cheek.

Jarred stepped back at that and hesitated. Then, "Good night Kalea. If you ever change your mind, don't hesitate to contact me." And he left.

Kalea stood there for a few more minutes. Fenris watched her. Then, she opened the door and went inside.

He didn't know what caused him to, but Fenris jumped down from the roof and sprinted over to her apartment. Because of his hearing, he could hear Levy and Kalea talking when he reached the door. He stopped, allowing Faelen to catch up to him.

"…so how'd it go girl!" came Levy's voice.

"It was… fine," responded Kalea.

"Just fine? Come on! Jarred is hot! How could it not go great!" said Levy.

"He's okay. He's… not my type. Honestly, the only reason I went on this date was to figure some stuff out," said Kalea.

"Figure what out?" asked Levy.

"I needed to figure out some stuff about myself. And I did it. I don't think I'll be going back out with Jarred. Or anyone else for that matter," said Kalea.

"Ummmm… is there someone else?" asked Levy.

Kalea didn't respond. He couldn't see her reaction either.

After a few moments Levy said, "Alright. Well you know you can come to me if something is up. Also, maybe you could go to Fenris too. I can tell he's been very sad lately. And I don't think it's a coincidence that it was suddenly when you stopped talking to him."

Fenris cut off the magic. He didn't want to hear that. Because he _was_sad. And hearing it out loud from someone else made him even more sad. He made his way back to his own apartment. He wondered why he reacted so strongly when that Jarred guy had leaned in to kiss Kalea…

Faelen bumped into him at that thought. He could sense what the wolf was thinking.

"No Faelen. That's not the reason. Kalea's just a friend…."

The next morning, Fenris was eating breakfast with Faelen when he felt someone tap his shoulder. He turned around to see Kalea looking down at him.

"Mind if I sit?" she asked.

"Uh-no-I mean yeah! Sure! Sit!" Fenris responded.

She sat down across from him and began eating. A few moments of silence, then, "I'm sorry."

Fenris jerked his head up. "What? Oh! Um…you don't need to apologize for anything. I'm just…glad you're back."

She looked at him, then smiled.

"Me too."

.

.

.

The next day, Fenris and Kalea went on their first mission together in months. It was a simple one to protect some Minster as he made his way from Onibus to Clover Town.

Once they arrived in Onibus, they met their client. He was a middle aged man and seemed nice enough. As they set off, he chatted with them for a while until his guards told him he needed to stay in his carriage.

After that, nothing out of the ordinary happened until the last stretch of their journey. Faelen sensed it first, then a few seconds later so did Fenris. He looked over to the right and shot a blast of energy out of his hand. Someone fell out of the tree and, as he walked up to the figure, he could see it was a tall man with a mask over his face.

Fenris picked up the man, who was knocked out cold and threw him to one of the guards. "I think this is probably going to be the only problem from here until Clover Town. I don't think he has any friends," Fenris said.

He walked back over to Kalea.

"This mission is kind of a joke," he said lazily. "If that's really the only guy we have to deal with the-" he was suddenly cut off by an explosion right in front of them. The road had been blown apart by something and horses were running wild. Fenris and Kalea ran up to the carriage where the Minister was in and saw it was unharmed. If the explosion had been just a few seconds later, it would have blown the carriage apart. Fenris sensed five people running up to them from the left.

"Five people are coming. Get ready," he told Kalea. Faelen jumped in front of them, fangs bared.

He saw them before anyone else. Enhancing his speed, he flew past Kalea to the men, intending to disarm them all before they got too far.

The first two were too slow. He ran up to the first man before he could even react and channeled his energy into his fist. He punched the man in the gut, sending him flying.

The next man had aimed a kick to his face as he hit the first, but Fenris leaned back and the leg swept over his face, brushing his nose. Before the man was even done kicking, Fenris grabbed the leg in midair, lifted the man, swung him around once and threw him into a boulder a few feet away.

The remaining three men were on him by then. But so were Kalea and Faelen. Faelen rushed past Fenris, jumping onto a third man and bit through his arm. The assailant screamed in pain. Leaving him to Faelen, Kalea and Fenris confronted the last two.

They were both very tall, much taller than Fenris. He could sense their magic. One was a fire user while the other was a nature user. The fire user reacted first. He threw a ball of fire their way, and Fenris parried it with his own magic, creating his own ball of energy, which deflected it to the left.

The nature user then manipulated vines all around them, which shot down and grabbed them by their hands and lifted them into the air.

Fenris struggled against the vines but to no avail. He saw the fire user shoot another ball of flame when he heard beside him, "Fire Dragon ROAR!"

An even bigger ball of fire rushed at the fire user. It consumed the smaller ball, then consumed the mage. He screamed in pain and fell to the floor.

Fenris looked over at Kalea. She sent him a wry smile and shot flames up her arms, incinerating the vines that held her. The nature user was staring in shock until he shook his head. He shot what looked like large spears out of his hands at Fenris. Fenris kicked out his foot, and the momentum of his kick, coupled with the energy he sent through it, knocked them to the side. He then used a new power he had just learned called Malacia. With it, he threw off the nature users sense of balance. This caused him to stagger about, allowing Kalea time to run up to him and punch him hard in the gut, knocking him out.

Breathing hard, Fenris looked around. All the mages were down. He sighed. _That was a close one_.

Flames shot up around him, destroying the vines that held him. He dropped down to the ground. As he got back up, he looked over at Kalea.

"Those were some impressive flames," he said.

She smiled again. "Natsu's powers really do come in handy.

Faelen walked up to Fenris, wagging his tail.

He bent down. "Good job buddy. You did great out there."

.

.

.

A few hours later, they were in Clover Town receiving their payment for the mission. The Minister thanked them over and over again, telling them to visit him whenever they liked.

Once they finally escaped him, they were back on the train heading to Magnolia. Fenris was looking out the window when a motion caught his eye. He looked over at Kalea and saw her staring at him.

Then, "Fenris. I'm sorry. About… the past few months. It's just that… after that night at the party. I thought there was something… never mind. Just- I'm sorry that's all."

Fenris looked at her. "It's alright. But… don't… do it again. Please. I… just don't."

He hesitated, before pressing on.

"Whenever you do this…fall back into that bubble of yours," he said, hoping he wasn't pushing her. "I worry that I can't pull you back out. I worry that I'll lose…" he cut himself off. He didn't want to push her. But he needed her to understand what her actions did to him.

"I just want you to laugh and smile with the rest of us," he continued. "I don't want you to feel like you did when you first got to Fairy Tail. I…Faelen didn't like these past few months."

Fenris expected her to ignore him. She rarely responded when he talked like this. But then he saw her smile.

"I won't. I care about Faelen. I don't want to hurt him," she said.

She went back to looking out the window. Fenris looked down at Faelen. _He cares about you too._

**Author's note:**

**Andddd we're done! Now we get into the serious stuff. Next chapter will start the fight with Phantom Lord! Fenris will be taking part in this arc seeing as pretty much the entire guild took part. I won't be going into detail for fights such as Gray vs Juvia or Elfman's fight seeing as they aren't my main characters and I'd essentially just be rewriting the manga. But Fenris will have his own fights to deal with so there will still be plenty of action.**

**See you next time!**


	15. Chapter 11

**Author's note:**

**Hello once again! Today we begin a new arc, one you will all be familiar with. The Phantom Lord Arc! I do hope my ability to write fighting scenes has improved, but I guess we'll be finding out. If anyone has any advice on how to improve that feel free to let me know. Hopefully it isn't too bad. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. That privilege belongs to Hiro Mashima**

Fenris woke with a start, having just been trampled on by Faelen. Groaning, he got up and did his usual routine. Got dressed, brushed his teeth, and so on.

_I wish something exciting would happen, _he thought as he laced up his shoes. Little did he know how much he'd regret thinking this.

On his way to the guild, he sensed Kalea running up behind him. Before she reached him he said, "Morning Kalea."

When she reached him, she gave him a playful push.

"I hate when you do that," she said.

He smiled at her. She was finally showing more emotion around everyone and it made him incredibly happy. As they got closer to the guild, Faelen began barking. He took off towards the guild without an explanation. Fenris and Kalea looked at each other, then ran after him.

When the guild came into view, both of them gasped. There seemed to be hundreds of iron rods sticking out of the building. It was completely destroyed. Everyone was gathered in front of the guild when they finally reached it. Faelen was standing next to Mira, his ears drooping sadly.

When they reached Mira, Kalea shouted, "What happened?! Who did this?!"

Mira looked over at her, tears in her eyes.

"Phantom Lord," came a response from their left. They saw the Master walking up to them.

"It happened over night. I suspect Redfox Gajeel is the one who specifically destroyed the guild. Although there is no doubt he was taking orders from Jose," said the Master.

_Gajeel, _thought Fenris.

He had heard that name before. Gajeel was a dragon slayer just like Natsu. He was apparently an iron dragon slayer, which made sense considering the state of the guild.

"Come my children. Let's head down to the basement. We can establish ourselves there for the time being." With that said, they all walked into the guild.

The main hall was completely trashed. Fenris couldn't recognize anything. They made their way down the stairs to the basement. Tables were already set out down there and everyone made their way to a table. Fenris, Faelen, and Kalea sat down by themselves. Mira started serving drinks to everyone to try and lift their spirits. The Master drank the most.

A few hours later, Mira went out to go get some more supplies for everyone. While they drank, Fenris thought, _Why the hell would they do this? We've never been on good terms with Phantom but this is just ridiculous._

Beside him, Kalea drank in silence. He touched her shoulder and her head shot in his direction. Her eyes were watery. But she didn't let the tears fall.

"We have to do something about this. There's no way we can let them get away with this," she said.

"I know…" he said. "I'm sure Master will think of something. For now, we need to wait for Team Natsu to get back so we can have everyone here together to make a pl-"

Suddenly, he heard shouting from above. That's when Natsu kicked down the door and ran inside. He and the rest of his team gathered around the Master, asking what had happened. As Master told them what he knew, Fenris thought some more.

_Something's gotta be done. Kalea is right. If we let them get away with this, they may attack again without any notice._

He heard Natsu shouting at Master, "THEY WRECKED OUR GUILD!"

"Gah, Natsu is so annoyingly loud sometimes," he complained.

She agreed. But she said, "It's understandable. Everyone is angry. We want something done but it seems like Master is content to just drink away his troubles."

.

.

.

Later that day, the trio were walking back to Fenris' apartment. After Mira had told everyone to stay in groups from now on, Fenris insisted she stay with him. When she started to protest, he grabbed her arm and marched her out of the guild.

"Levy's staying with Cana and Mira and I don't like when you hang out with Cana. She just tried to get you drunk," he reasoned.

She finally relented, saying, "You're probably right I guess."

The following day, while they were walking to the guild, Fenris felt a disturbance. A large group of people were gathering at the park. He grabbed Kalea's hand. "Let's go. Something's happening at the park."

Before she could protest he ran towards the disturbance, Faelen right beside him. Entering the park, Fenris took note of the commotion. As he suspected, a large crowd had gathered at the grand tree in the middle of the park. Fenris saw three figures that seemed pinned to the middle of the tree above the crowd.

"Oh my god," said Kalea. She ran towards the tree. Fenris ran after her, hoping it wasn't what he thought it was.

The guild was already there as Fenris pushed his way through the crowd. He walked up beside Kalea and saw them. Levy, Jet, and Droy. Hung up on the tree, blood all over them. And on their stomachs was the Phantom guild mark.

He heard Lucy mutter, "Levy-chan…" as she started to cry.

Gray shouted, "Jet! Droy!"

Natsu looked as if he was going to murder someone.

As Fenris looked on, he got angry. He got so angry he started to lose control of his powers. A white aura began to flow out of him until Kalea touched his fingers. It went away immediately. He looked over at her and saw tears in her eyes. Then the Master walked up.

"I could look the other way when they made a ruin of our bar…but no father can see the blood of his children and stand silent!" His staff shattered.

"THIS MEANS WAR!" he shouted. And so it did.

.

.

.

Master called every able body to his side. Lucy and Mira helped get Levy, Jet, and Droy down from the tree to take them back to the guild. A few hours later, with the trio safely in the hospital room of the guild, Master gathered everyone around him.

"Look at what they have done to my children!" said the Master. "To your fellow comrades! Forget the Council! Forget protocol! We SHALL NOT allow this to go unpunished! Come! Everyone! It is time for recompense!"

He began running. All the way to Oak Town. Everyone in the guild cheered and ran after him, ready for the fight to come. It took about an hour to get to Oak Town from Magnolia. As they approached Phantom, Natsu sprinted ahead of everyone. He lit one of his fists on fire and destroyed the front door.

_That's Natsu… _thought Fenris.

As soon as the doors were destroyed the entire guild flooded in.

"WE ARE FAIRY TAIL!" shouted Master.

And the chaos began.

Fenris couldn't tell his left from right. There were so many bodies being shoved around he could hardly even tell who was who. As he dodged a fist, he threw an uppercut at the man who missed. Fenris didn't use his magic other than to enhance his strength. He didn't feel he needed to right now.

He heard a yell from behind him and whirled around. A man was running up to him, his fists cloaked in dark flames. Faelen jumped over him and tackled the man to the ground. After he was taken out, Faelen ran back to him. He put a hand on his head, "Good boy."

As he continued fighting he saw others of the guild. He saw Natsu taking out five men all at once, Elfman knocking out someone almost as big with one fist, and saw Cana slice through people with her card magic. He also saw Kalea using his own magic to repel fire that was coming her way.

She caught his eye, paused for a second, then went back into the fray. He knew she could handle herself. Suddenly, he heard the Master shout Jose's name and run up the stairs.

_Jose is a Master of the guild, there's no way I can take him on. The Master can handle him, _he thought and went back to the fight.

As he threw another punch, there was a huge explosion. He whirled around and saw that Gajeel had finally shown himself. Before he knew it, Elfman was running past him, shouting about being a man.

He was holding his own until Gajeel sent out wave after wave of his iron arm, taking out his own guild members in the process. This seemed to catch Elfman off guard, allowing Gajeel to hit him with a sucker punch. Elfman was thrown off balance, and then Natsu showed up. Before Fenris knew it, Natsu and Gajeel were fighting high above everyone else. He turned his attention back to his own fight.

He quickly dodged an incoming kick to the face and decided now was the time to use his powers. Just as Kalea had done, he pushed his hand forward, releasing a blast of energy that knocked his attacker back. He then enhanced his speed, running up to the man in the blink of an eye and punched him square in the face. He was out.

The fight continued this way for longer than Fenris wished. He dodged attacks from every direction. But his strength was not infinite. He did tire, causing his reactions to slow. The first blow came from behind. He was exchanging attacks with a Phantom member when he felt someone smash something hard into his back.

He coughed up blood. The momentary distraction allowed his frontal attacker to land a hit to his face. He fell to the floor, seeing stars in his eyes. As his attacker came in for a second hit, he channeled his magic to his back.

It exploded out of him, throwing him up and over his attacker. Landing on one foot, he kicked the man hard in the face. Another one down. However, the blow to his head caused him to feel dizzy. He accumulated more and more bruises as the fight wore on. He could feel his magical energy draining as the minutes passed. If this didn't end soon, he'd be out completely.

Suddenly, there was a huge noise from up above and a figure was blasted through the ceiling. The next thing he knew, the Master was lying on the ground. He looked almost lifeless.

Erza yelled, "Master!"

She ran over to him. Fenris could see he was hardly breathing. Everyone in the Fairy Tail guild was shocked. Then, the Phantom members grinned. The tide was turning.

"GET EM!" he heard someone yell.

He reacted just as Natsu began running and they were about to charge back into battle when Erza shouted, "RETREAT! Everyone fall back and regroup to the guild!"

People started to protest and Fenris was about to agree when she yelled again, "We cannot defeat Jose without our Master. Retreat to the guild! That is an order!"

Fenris paused. Noticing another presence, he looked up. A huge man had appeared next to Gajeel. He wore a top hat and had some bandana over his eyes. _Who the hell…_

He could see they were talking but couldn't hear what they said. He saw Natsu whirl around and drag some Phantom member out the door. He looked after him until he realized the other Phantom members were attacking again.

He was about to fight back when he heard Erza shout, "Fenris! It's time to retreat NOW! We have to fall back to the guild."

"Bu-" he protested.

"NOW FENRIS PLEASE!" she exclaimed.

He heard Gray shout, "ERZA how can we retreat like this? We have to avenge Levy and the others!"

Then Erza fell on Gray. Fenris heard her mutter, "Please…"

Moments later, Gray yelled, "RETREAT NOW!"

They had lost.

.

.

.

When they returned to the guild, Alzack and Bisca took the Master to Porlyusica. If anyone was able to cure whatever happened to Master, it was her.

The entire guild began preparing for another attack. Lacrima bombs were made, strategies were laid out.

Fenris walked up to Kalea, who was nursing a large cut on her arm.

"You okay?" he asked her.

She looked up at him and gave him a grimace. "Yeah. It's just a small cut."

He looked at the cut again. It was anything but small. "Kalea…you should get that looked at by someone who knows some healing magic. It looks pretty deep."

"I'm fine." She raised her arm to show him she was okay. As she did, he saw her arm give an involuntary spasm and she flinched.

He eyed her. "Doesn't look fine to me."

She gave him a pout and looked away. Despite everything that was going on, he couldn't help think, _Wow…that was really cute._

Shaking his head, he sat down next to her.

_What the hell am I thinking?_

"Are you okay? I saw you take a hit to the head," she said.

He touched the side of his head, where he had wrapped up his wound. "Nothing that won't heal."

She rolled her eyes. "Now look who's lying."

He laughed at that. As he did so, the door burst open and Natsu, Lucy, and Happy ran in. Everyone ran up to them, questioned where they had been. Fenris stared in shock as Lucy explained the situation. Who would have thought she was THE Lucy Heartfilia from that rich family he heard about. They were one of the richest families in all of Fiore.

Although she didn't give her reasons, Lucy explained how she had ran away from her home and that was when she was found by Natsu. And now her father wanted her back. He even went as far as to hire the Phantom guild to do so.

Fenris could tell Lucy was upset about this. She and Natsu were sitting by the job board when he, Gray, and Elfman walked over.

"What's up? Still worried?" asked Gray.

"No… it's not that… it's just… I'm sorry," said Lucy.

"Hey don't be sorry. You didn't even do anything wrong," said Fenris.

"Yeah, daughters from rich families are destined to be targeted. And it's a man's duty to protect them," said Elfman.

Fenris looked up at him. "Dude, read the room."

"But we sure were surprised. Lucy, why did you hide it?" asked Happy.

"I wasn't hiding it, exactly…I just…I was running away from home, and I didn't want to talk about it… For an entire year, he didn't do a damn thing about his runaway daughter…then suddenly he wants me home again… I never dreamed that my father would use such tactics to get me back. How low can he sink?!" She started to cry.

"This whole mess can be taken back to the fact that I ran away…" she said.

"N-no way! Your father is the evil one!" shouted Elfman.

"Dude shut up!" said Gray.

"I-I meant Phantom!" Elfman corrected himself.

Lucy rubbed her eyes. "I acted on my own selfish whims. But I never thought it would cause everyone to be hurt like this… I'm really sorry. If I go home, everything will go back to normal so…"

"Is that so… I mean, the term 'Lady' doesn't really suit you, does it? You fit better in this dirty bar, laughing and goin' on adventures with us!" said Natsu.

Lucy looked up at him, tears in her eyes.

"You're Lucy from Fairy Tail, right? This is your home," said Natsu.

The tears poured out as she began crying. Everyone smiled and agreed with him. Lucy looked into Natsu's eyes and Fenris saw something in them. It reminded him of… someone else. The connection between those two. He saw Kalea out of the corner of his eyes. She was still sitting alone at the table they had been talking at earlier.

"Hey," he said, walking up to her.

"I heard Lucy's confession. That's really sad," she said.

"Yeah, it is," he said.

Out of nowhere he heard Laxus' voice coming from in the room. His head shot up.

_Laxus isn't here though, _he thought.

He turned around and saw Cana talking with him through a Lacrima. He heard Laxus shout some pretty mean things about Lucy and the Master when Mira suddenly shattered the Lacrima.

He turned back around. "Laxus is an ass," said Kalea.

"I know. He's also one of the strongest members in the guild. We could have used him for this," said Fenris.

"We don't need him," Kalea said. "Someone who is that arrogant and selfish will only burden us. We need people who care about the guild. And the members in it. We need…" She didn't finish her sentence.

A loud noise came from outside and everyone jumped up. Following everyone else, Fenris and Kalea ran outside. Coming from across the river, Fenris saw it. The entire guild hall of Phantom Lord was walking towards them on giant legs.

"Wha-what is that?" stuttered Kalea.

"It's the whole damn guild," said Fenris.

He looked on, wondering what could possibly happen next, when the front of the guild opened up. A giant cannon slowly appeared from the depths of the building.

He heard Erza shout, "This is bad! Everybody, get down!"

He shoved Kalea down and dropped to the ground. Faelen came and laid down beside them.

The cannon fired at the same time Erza re-quiped into a giant suit of armor.

"I won't let you take down our guild!" she shouted.

Fenris realized what she was going to do. He shot up and was about to run after her when Kalea grabbed his arm.

"NO!" she shouted at him with such emotion he stopped.

"You can't help her Fenris! Erza knows what she's doing and something that powerful could kill you and I-" she stopped herself.

Fenris looked at her for a second. Wondering what she was going to say, then looked back at Erza as everyone started to shout.

The blast was so explosive, Fenris felt as though the ground would tear beneath them. Erza's Herculean Armor was hit with the full force of it. Fenris was blinded by the explosion and, a few seconds later, rubbed his eyes to clear them.

He saw Natsu holding Erza as she lay very still in his arms. Her armor had been completely destroyed. "I can't believe she really stopped it…" he muttered.

He heard Jose's voice, amplified with magic, come from the guild hall.

"After Makarov… now Erza is unable to fight too. You don't stand a chance. Hand over Lucy Heartfilia RIGHT NOW!" came his angry voice.

Almost at the same time, every member of the guild shouted in protest at him.

"SCREW YOU!" shouted both Fenris and Kalea at the same time.

Then Erza's voice came loudest of all. "WE'D RATHER DIE THAN GIVE UP ON OUR COMRADE!"

Everyone cheered in agreement.

Then Natsu shouted. "Our answer won't change no matter what! We'll take you down!"

"Then we'll fire an even bigger and stronger Jupiter! Now struggle in this 15-minute terror until it's reloaded!" came Jose's amplified voice.

Fenris froze. _They can shoot another one so soon after that? Crap…_

Hundreds of figures suddenly flew out of the guild towards Fairy Tail.

Kalea shouted, "Their soldiers are coming! Everyone get prepared!"

"Feel the pain Fairy Tail. You have two choices. Get killed by my soldiers, or die by Jupiter," said Jose.

"Is he going to kill his own men with Jupiter as well?!" someone shouted.

"Yes. That's Jose's magic 'shade.' Those aren't humans. Just ghosts Jose has created," said Cana.

"We've gotta do something about Jupiter," Kalea said.

"I'll go smash it down!" shouted Natsu.

He ran towards the Phantom buliding, Happy swooping down to pick him up and fly off.

"Elfman, we're going to!" shouted Gray.

"All right!" Elfman said.

Fenris made a quick decision and sprinted after them.

"WAIT!" came Kalea's voice.

He looked back. She was staring at him with wide eyes. "Where the hell do you think you're going?! You could get hurt or worse!" she shouted at him. She had never cursed at him before. He was slightly taken aback.

Recovering quickly, he simply smiled. "I won't."

"And how do you know that?!" she said in protest.

He paused, looking into her eyes. And then he knew why he wouldn't die.

"Because I have something to live for," he said.

She stared at him, her eyes full of tears again.

"Faelen. Stay here and protect Kalea. I'll be back once this is all over. Do everything you can to make sure she isn't hurt," Fenris said to Faelen. He barked in response.

Fenris gave one last look to Kalea and then ran off after Gray and Elfman.

**Author's note:**

**Next chapter, more Phantom. See ya next time!**


	16. Chapter 12

**Author's note:**

**Welcome back! Today we have the second half of the Phantom Arc. This arc isn't super long mainly because this story is from the perspective of Fenris and not of every mage of Fairy Tail. So we don't see Natsu's first fight or Mira/Elfman's fights. I am excited to finish this up though because from here on out, we are going to get a lot of character development for Fenris and Kalea. The next few arcs are my own original ones and they really start to push the story forward. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. That privilege belongs to Hiro Mashima**

He used his powers to enhance his speed and agility. With this, he ran as fast as he could over the water, moving so lightly that he was almost able to reach their guild before he felt his feet begin to dip into the water. Once he felt this, he jumped onto a large rock protruding from the water and shot up. He jumped so high that he flew past the giant cannon and into one of the windows near the top.

He smashed into the window and landed lightly on his feet. He looked around. He was alone. Because of this, he was able to take a moment to survey his surroundings. He could feel the presence of Natsu, Elfman, and Gray down below him. They were already fighting their own enemies. Then he felt the presence of one person on the roof, another a few floors above him, and a few more even further above him. He also felt the many grunts that were swarming the halls and running towards him at that very moment.

As the first few people ran at him, he shouted, "Malacia!"

Their balance was thrown off and they staggered near the window and fell out. He used his Force Push to throw another few men away from him before the rest got to him. Before they could reach him, he used a move he recently developed called Mind Trick to cause some of the men to begin fighting their own.

This only worked on those with lower intelligence, but it got the job done.

After throwing the men into chaos, he himself attacked. He dashed forwards, going from person to person, knocking them out with one punch. Through his marital arts training, he knew where the weak points of the human body were located. Having this information, it was much easier to knock someone out when you knew just where to hit them. It also allowed him to save his strength for the fights to come. It didn't take much force to activate the pressure point. Soon enough, only one member was left standing.

The Phantom member looked around at his fallen comrades nervously and gulped. Fenris decided to use a new power he had been practicing with. Raising his arms, he said, "Morichro."

The man slumped to the ground.

Morichro put the target into a deep slumber. Its effects varied depending on the target. If they were strong enough, they could resist it and nothing even happen. But if they were weak, like Fenris suspected this man to be, they could stay asleep for days before waking up.

Fenris smiled at this ability. He had always wanted to try it out. Now he just needed to hone it some more. He tried sensing where everyone was again but as he did so, the building began to shake. It threw him off his feet and he slammed into a wall. The shaking lasted a few more seconds and then stopped just as quickly as it began.

_What the hell was that about_, he wondered.

Shaking it off, he again began his search. He sensed Gray on the roof, Elfman below him, and Natsu now on his level. Both Gray and Elfman were battling someone with immense power.

But since Natsu was closer he decided he'd try to find him first. He was running in Natsu's direction when he felt another presence appear near Natsu. Whoever this new person was… they were strong. Really strong.

Running even faster, Fenris turned corner after corner before finally reaching Natsu. He ran into a large room where he found Natsu and that huge guy from earlier with the bandanas over his eyes. It had taken him longer than he hoped to reach them and it seemed like Natsu was having a difficult time. He was battered and bloody.

"I'm rather impressed that you are still able to stand," said the big guy. Natsu lunged at him.

"However…" he said. "Before my Airspace magic, there is nothing that you can do." Natsu was blown backwards.

To Natsu's defense he was still going at the guy. Although Fenris could see it was a losing battle. He was getting hit hard from every angle. Suddenly, the man disappeared and reappeared right behind Natsu. Fenris and Happy both shouted, "Natsu look out!" But they were too late.

Fenris could feel Natsu being drained of his powers. Before he knew what he was doing, he ran faster than he had ever before. He ran straight to the man and, just as the big guy looked up, he head-butted him in the face. This stopped his magic from taking even more from Natsu and threw him across the room. He managed to stop himself before he hit the wall though.

"Oh ho! And who might this be?" said the man.

Fenris glared at him.

"My, my what manners. Well, because I am polite and it would sadden me if this were not so, my name is Aria. Aria of the Elemental Four" He bowed.

Fenris recognized the name. Aria was apparently the strongest of the Elemental Four. He was in for it now. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Natsu lying against a wall, panting.

"Natsu. Get some rest. I'll take care of this idiot," said Fenris.

"Be careful! He can sap your magic if he gets too close!" shouted Natsu.

Fenris nodded. Then he attacked.

With his enhanced physical abilities, he was much faster than Aria. But he still wasn't as strong. He hit him over and over but Aria was extremely powerful. Eventually, Aria managed to land a strong blow to Fenris' face, sending him flying against the wall. His vision threatened to fade as he tried to recover.

Utilizing his Alchaka meditation, Fenris was able to increase his concentration, alleviating his headache. He had developed this ability during one of his meditations. It allowed him to increase his stamina/concentration temporarily.

With this, he sprang back up and clasped his hands together. As Aria flew at him, he swung them like a baseball bat. This allowed his Force Push ability to extend just as if he was… swinging a baseball bat. He hit Aria, hard, with this attack. It threw him into a wall, causing the wall to collapse. Nothing moved for a few seconds. Just as Fenris thought he had won, the rocks burst apart and Aria was no longer wearing his bandana.

He put his hands together. "Very well. It seems as though I must get serious for this fight young man."

He raised both hands and the air around him began swirling.

"I have activated the airspace of death, 'Zero.' This airspace consumes life. Now… let us have some fun," he laughed maniacally.

Fenris knew he would have to end this fight now. Or else he wouldn't make it back… back to the guild. And back to Faelen, his best friend. And… back to Kalea.

_No. I won't die here. I won't leave them behind now. This isn't MY TIME!_

He lunged. He concentrated all his power on Aria. Then…. time slowed. Not in a figurative way. It literally slowed down. He continued running at Aria but Aria seemed to be moving in slow motion.

He ran up to him, concentrated all of his magical energy into his fist, and threw a punch. Before it even landed, the energy burst out of it. The concentration of magical energy was so powerful; Aria was thrown out of the guild. He was thrown so far; he disappeared into the sky.

Fenris collapsed. He was out of power. He had put all of it into that punch. Natsu ran up to him and said, "Hey! Are you alright Fenris? That was incredible I couldn't even see anything happen until you just appeared in front of the guy and hit him!"

Then, Fenris sensed Lucy. He sensed her far below. _Crap! _he thought.

"Natsu! I sense Lucy. She's down below us. You need to go save her. I can tell she's in serious trouble. You have to go NOW! Only you can protect her right now!" he said to Natsu, grabbing his shirt.

When Natsu heard Lucy's name his eyes narrowed.

"Lucy?!" said Natsu.

He burst into flame and he ran out the door.

As Fenris lay there, trying to recover, he heard voices. Suddenly, Gray, Elfman, and Mira ran up to him shouting his name.

"Fen!" shouted Mira.

"Hey man what happened here?!" yelled Gray.

Then, a chill swept through them all. And Jose apparated before them.

"My, my… what a wonderful show you all put on," said Jose. "I never honestly expected you to provide me with this much entertainment."

_This guy's magic… it's pure evil, _thought Fenris. He glanced around at everyone and could tell they felt the same way.

Elfman and Gray ran at him before Mira shouted, "NO WAIT!"

They were both blasted with Jose's magic.

"ELFMAN! GRAY!" shouted Mira.

Suddenly, Erza appeared out of nowhere. Fenris could tell she was in pain, but she was still fast. She flew at Jose and knocked him into a wall.

"Ahhhh Titiana! So you've come to join the party! The fact that you are still standing after taking a direct hit from the Jupiter is impressive! It will make it much more satisfying to KILL YOU," said Jose sadistically.

Their fight began. Fenris still couldn't get up. He could only watch as Erza was battered down again and again but, again and again, she got back up and continued fighting.

_I… need to become stronger… I need to be like Erza, _he thought.

But soon, even Erza began to tire. The tide was turning. Jose was getting more hits in. Erza was down. Just then, the building began to shake. The walls started to crumble. The entire place was falling apart.

"Those dragons can really go on a rampage," said Jose.

"I see you weren't able to figure Natsu's strength into your calculations. H-he's probably on par with me. It's possible that he is even more powerful!" shouted Erza.

Jose simply laughed. "Cut the false modesty Titania. Your magic is praiseworthy. I have never seen a wizard who is able to come so far in battle with me. And if you hadn't taken damage from Jupiter, you might have been able to fight even longer. I doubt there are any wizards who are greater. I certainly will _not _accept that there are any greater within Makarov's guild!"

He blasted her with more dark magic.

"Have you figured out why I left Makarov alive?" he asked. "Despair! It is to instill despair in him! When he finally awakens, he'll find his beloved guild and all of his children annihilated! _Only after I have treated him to heartrending despair will I kill him! I refuse to give him a quick death! I will make him suffer anguish and misery! When he has felt agony, only then will I kill him!"_

Jose was insane. Clinically insane.

"You vile…" Erza muttered.

"Phantom Lord has always been the best!" he shouted. "We have the best magic, the best wizards, and the most money of any in the country! But these past few years, Fairy Tail has seen a sudden increase in strength. The names of Erza and Laxus, Mystogan and Gildarts have been heard even in my own town! The name of Salamander is heard all over the country! I even hear people speaking of Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail as 'the country's _two_finest guilds!' I won't stand for it! Not from an upstart guild that used to be worth no more than bodily waste!"

He attacked Erza again and again. But she wouldn't give up.

"So this whole war is based on some stupid jealousy of yours?!" she shouted.

"'Jealously?!" he shouted. "Not even a little! What we're doing here is clarifying our superiority, once and for all!"

Erza looked shocked. "You're joking?! You mean for such trivial reasons?!"

Jose captured Erza in some sort of magical barrier.

"I could never stand your guild!" Jose said. "So maybe what triggered the war was something small… Small, such as a request to return the daughter of the Heartfilia consortium to her father."

"Lucy?!" said Erza.

"I could hardly believe it!" Jose continued. "The daughter of one of the country's top industrialists is in Fairy Tail?! How much power do you intend to suck up before you've had enough?! If I were to allow you to use the Heartfilia money unrestrained…then you'd certainly have great power at your beck and call! That is something I can never allow!"

Erza screamed. Fenris struggled to get up but had no strength left.

"Your obsession with who is superior and inferior is pitiful in itself…but there are no words to describe your failure of intelligence gathering," said Erza.

"What…?" said Jose.

"Lucy ran away from home to come to us…" Erza continued. "How could she us her family's money?! She lives in a 70 thousad jewel apartment…and does the same work as us. She fights with us…laughs with us…cries with us. She's just another wizard in our guild."

She smiled.

"A trigger to start a war?!" she said. "Daughter of the Heartfilia house-hold?! A flower can't choose where it will bloom…and a child can't choose her parents! You've never seen Lucy's tears! You know nothing of her!"

"Well…I'll find out soon enough, won't I?" Jose laughed. "Do you think we intend to hand her over to her father for nothing? Oh, no! We're going to bleed him until he has nothing left! Until the entire Heartfilia empire is mine to control!"

"Now… it's time to DIE FAIRY!" screamed Jose.

He unleashed magic so powerful, Fenris actually felt… scared.

Just as Erza was about to be hit, the magic dissipated. Jose looked shocked.

"Magic…? Who's there?" he shouted.

You have spilled much blood here… the blood of my children," came a familiar voice. "Thanks to pitiful parents, a child went through pain, and shed many tears… and that goes for more than one child. This has gone far enough… I MUST PUT AN END TO THIS!"

And there he was. Master Makarov. The magical energy surrounding him was incredible. But it also created a warming presence in Fenris.

"You must all leave this place," said the Master.

"But-" came protests until Erza yelled.

"We must go! We will only be a burden to Master!" she shouted.

So, they left. Mira helped Fenris to his feet and they all ran out of the room. Because of Natsu's fight downstairs, they were able to jump down to the ground right near the other members of Fairy Tail. As they landed, the sky grew dark. Lightning streaked the sky. Fenris could feel an incredible amount of magical power coming back from where they had left Master.

Then he heard the Master's voice.

"FAIRY LAW!"

The sky broke apart in a bright light. All of the shades the guild members were fighting disappeared at once. Fenris had heard about this power called Fairy Law before. It was a very rare type of magic that destroyed anyone the caster deemed his/her enemy.

And just like that, cheers rang out.

"WE WON!" everyone shouted.

Fenris and his group smiled and began laughing. Then he heard barking behind him. He turned around and saw Faelen and Kalea running up to him.

Faelen tackled him to the ground and started licking him like crazy. Fenris was laughing when Kalea reached them and knelt down next to him. He looked at her and she looked at him. Then she punched him on the shoulder.

"Don't you EVER do that to me AGAIN FENRIS WARD! Do you have any idea how worried I was?! And LOOK at you. You look like absolute HELL," she screamed at him

She continued berating him for a few more minutes. Fenris was impressed she had such a…large vocabulary.

Everyone was staring at her the whole time. Fenris noticed that her eyes seemed to be shining. As if she was about to cry. When she was finally done, everyone laughed. And so did Fenris. And eventually, so did Kalea.

.

.

.

The Master was surveying the remains of the guild.

"Wow. This got trashed pretty badly," he said.

Fenris was leaning against Kalea with everyone else surrounding the Master. Lucy walked up from behind them with Natsu.

"Ummm.. Master…" she said hesitantly.

He turned around.

"You guys look like you ran into quite a bit of trouble," he said.

"Don't look like that Lu-chan," came a voice from behind everyone.

They all turned around and saw Levy, Jet, Droy, and Reedus, finally up.

"I heard the story. Nobody thinks this is your fault Lu-chan," said Levy.

"Lucy… happiness. Sadness. We can't share _all_of it. But we can share some. That is a guild. One person's happiness is everyone's happiness. One person's anger is everyone's anger. One person's tears are everyone's tears. You don't have to suffer with guilt. Our thoughts are with you. Raise your head. You are a member of Fairy Tail," said the Master. And he smiled at Lucy.

She broke down. But everyone smiled. Because what he said was true. They were a family. And they all shared in each other's happiness and sadness no matter what. Fenris looked down at Kalea.

_We all share each other's sadness… _He remembered her crying at the park. He remembered her torn up back.

_The Master is right_, he thought. _So then why… won't you share your sadness Kalea…_

**Author's note:**

**And done! As I mentioned earlier, the next few arcs (which will encompass a lot of chapters) are my own and this is where the story starts to roll. See you next time!**


	17. Chapter 13

**Author's note:**

**Hello, hello! I'm very excited to be posting this next chapter. Although it is a little shorter than my other ones, it's setting up something really big for the next few chapters. I really hope you enjoy this and the next few ones because I think they're some of the better ones I've written. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. That privilege belongs to Hiro Mashima**

Fenris spent the next few weeks in an emergency hospital tent that the guild had set up. Construction began right after their battle with Phantom, but there was no room yet for a hospital room so they had to make due. He didn't realize how serious his injuries had been until everything calmed down. He had a few cracked ribs, a concussion, and two broken fingers on one hand and a broken wrist on the other.

But he was recovering fast, partially due to his powers. Growing up, he realized he recovered from injuries faster than most people. Curious, one day he cut his finger with a knife and focused his meditation on healing that cut. It took a few hours, but by the end of the day the cut had vanished. Not a trace to be seen. It wasn't the same as actual healing magic. Instead, he discovered he was able to speed up the process of natural healing. This didn't allow him to heal injuries within minutes like a healing mage, but it did allow him to recover faster.

His friends periodically visited him while on bed rest. Faelen never left his side, but others came and went when they had the time. Most people were focused on the reconstruction of the guild, which was going well. It was proceeding much faster than anticipated due to everyone's help and Fenris was looking forward to finally sleeping inside. Lucy had come to visit him, thanking him for his help in defeating Phantom and blaming herself for his injuries. He assured her it wasn't her fault and, after much convincing, she finally believed him.

Erza, Cana, and Levy also visited him periodically to check up on him. Gray and Natsu visited just to bug him. The first day he was in the hospital, he wasn't able to move due to the loss of magical energy and they made sure to take full advantage of this. But after he was finally able to move, they stopped, although they still visited to laugh at his expense.

Kalea visited him most often. She would come to see him at least twice a day and she would always bring food with her too. She told him everything that was going on since he couldn't be there himself. Apparently, after Lucy had visited him, she left to go back to her home at Heartfilia Estate. Erza, Gray, and Natsu had gone after her, thinking she was leaving for good, but it turned out she was only visiting her father one last time to confront him about the Phantom fiasco.

While he was in the hospital, he noticed a change in Kalea's attitude towards him. She was much more…gentle. Not that she had ever been rough or harsh with anyone. But she did tend to answer questions rather bluntly growing up, never showing too much emotion. But when she visited him, she often spoke in a soft, soothing tone. She didn't let a day go by without asking him how he was. Occasionally, she would even put her hand on his arm. This caught him off guard as Kalea didn't like being physical with anyone.

Although he was curious about the change, he never mentioned it when she was around. He found he liked it and didn't want to make things awkward. Unfortunately for him, Mira also noticed. She was staying with Fenris to give him his medicine and, one day, asked her about it.

"So Kalea… you and Fen seem to be getting along much better lately," she giggled.

Kalea jerked her head up from talking to him.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about Mira," she stuttered.

"Ohhhh I think you do," she winked.

Kalea quickly got up from where she was sitting next to Fenris.

"I-I have to go help with the building." She walked out of the tent.

"Mira, why'd you have to go and say that. She was just talking to me about something important," said Fenris.

Mira giggled some more. "Oh I just was taking note of the change."

.

.

.

After he was finally healed, Fenris started helping with the construction of the guild. He found it to be a good way to train himself physically. He didn't use any magic, only his own strength and stamina. Kalea was still treating him nicer than usual even after he was released from the tent. She didn't leave his side during construction, staying with him from morning until night. He liked this side of her. He liked it a lot actually…

And he wouldn't deny it, he was taking advantage of his injuries when it came to Kalea. Occasionally, he would "fall" over, holding his side. Or he would "struggle" to lift a piece of lumber. When Kalea would help him, he couldn't help but smile. She was having the strangest effect on him.

Although construction of the guild moved quickly, it still took months to complete. Fenris couldn't complete jobs while he was still recovering, so he spent most of his time helping out. And although Kalea hadn't been seriously injured during the fight with Phantom, she didn't take on any jobs. She stayed with Fenris every day.

"Are you okay with rent?" he asked her one morning.

She was lifting a door up to the second floor for Elfman to grab. As he took the door, she turned around with a questioning look.

"I'm fine Fenris. Don't worry about me," she said.

"But…I do worry about you. I just want to make sure you don't make any decisions that you'll regret," said Fenris.

"I…" She paused, not finishing her sentence. Not wanting to make things awkward, he quickly changed the subject.

"Well as long as you have enough money that's fine! Help me with this frame will you?"

The physical labor helped the days go by quickly for Fenris. However, the lack of jobs and repetitive days was making him stir crazy. Then one day, he finally had some entertainment. One morning, while he, Kalea, and Faelen were taking a break, Loke and Lucy strolled into the guild, looking happier than usual. When they told everyone what happened, people were shocked.

"You're a celestial spirit?!" asked Natsu.

Loke laughed. "Well, I guess it boils down to that."

Kalea walked up to him. "I never would've guessed Loke. You hid it well," she said.

Natsu jumped in between them and pointed accusingly at Loke. "Hold on a sec! Why aren't you a cow or a horse or anything?!" he bellowed.

"I mean, neither is Virgo. You know her. She looks just like a regular girl, right?" Loke responded.

"Nope! She can also look like a huge gorilla!" exclaimed Natsu.

"Haha! Now that you mention it, I guess you're right!" said Loke.

Lucy interjected. "Loke is from the Lion Palace."

"Lion?!" bellowed Natsu.

Happy waddled towards them, jumping onto Faelen's back and settling down. Faelen licked his cheek.

"Lion…isn't that like a grown-up cat?" he asked.

"Exactly!" said Loke.

"Exactly wrong!" shouted Lucy.

"Come to think of it, you still look exactly the same," said Gray.

Loke merely smiled and shrugged. "It can't be helped. Lucy is my owner now, and I'm at her bidding. I have to be Lucy's knight in shining armor, appearing to rescue her whenever she's in danger."

He jumped up and took Lucy in his arms, much to her protest.

"And thus! We head off to discuss our future in depth," he said, running off with Lucy.

"Hey! Put me down!" she yelled at him.

Natsu came over and sat down next to Fenris. "Must be nice huh? I want a celestial spirit of my own!"

He looked over at Faelen.

"Is Faelen a spirit?" he asked.

Fenris sweat dropped.

"Of course not idiot. He's just a…giant wolf," said Fenris.

Happy pawed at Faelen's back.

"What kind of spirit would you want Natsu?" Happy asked.

He grinned. An evil grin. "A dragon! What else?! Here I am, knowing everything a guy needs to know about how to be a dragon slayer! But what's the point if I don't have a dragon to fight with?"

"Celestial wizards don't use their spirits as punching bags or sparring partners!" Lucy said, walking back to them when Loke eventually put her down.

"Absolutely true! Celestial spirits are meant for love!" said Loke.

Lucy grimaced. "You can go home now."

"Wait just one minute!" said Loke, rummaging around in his pockets. He pulled out a handful of what looked like tickets.

"Here!" he said gleefully.

He handed them to Lucy, who asked, "What are these?"

"I can't spend long amounts of time in the human world anymore," said Loke, putting his hands back into his pockets. "These are tickets to a resort hotel I intended to go with my girlfriends, but now… Since I feel that I owe everyone, they're yours. Go and have fun!"

Lucy squealed, jumping up and down before shouting, "At the seaside!"

She handed tickets to Gray and Natsu, then paused, frowning. "Oh…there aren't enough tickets for everyone."

Loke shrugged. "Those were all I had unfortunately. I gave one to Erza already. So have fun everyone!" He disappeared with a _pop._

Lucy looked at Kalea and frowned. "Do you guys want to go instead of us?"

Kalea shook her head and smiled. "No! Loke gave you the tickets! You guys go. Really, it's fine."

Fenris shook his head with a wry smile. "I'm still injured anyway. I probably wouldn't be able to enjoy it."

Still looking doubtful, Lucy hesitated. "Are you sure…?"

"We are. Don't worry Lucy, go have fun," said Kalea.

.

.

.

Three weeks after Team Natsu left for their trip, Fenris was on his way to the guild to help with construction. When he got there, everything seemed normal. He started helping out when he realized something; Kalea wasn't there. He started looking around for her but she was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey Cana, have you seen Kalea this morning?" he asked.

"Hmm? Nope. Now that you mention it she hasn't been around at all today. But I mean, if anyone would see her first it'd be you but since you haven't I'm guessing that means she isn't here today," said Cana.

"Why would I… whatever. Okay thanks. I'm gonna go see if she's alright then. It's not like her to skip out helping with construction," said Fenris.

He and Faelen left to go visit her at her apartment. But she wasn't home. So they went out to town to try and find her. He searched all day but couldn't find Kalea anywhere.

He was a little worried about her but he figured if she didn't show up tomorrow at the guild then he'd start worrying for real. The following day, he arrived at the guild and she was nowhere to be found. So, he and Faelen set out again to search for her. They searched high and low but they kept coming up short. It was late afternoon when Fenris decided to check the park. He had checked the entire park yesterday but she wasn't there. As they got further in, past the tree she usually sat at, Faelen's ears perked up.

He ran over to a nearby playground, Fenris running after him. On a bench, her knees pulled up to her chest, was Kalea. And she was crying again. Seeing her sitting there, crying her eyes out, pulled on Fenris' heart. Although he had seen her in this state before, there was something different watching her now. He didn't want to sit on the sidelines anymore and watch her go through whatever she was going through.

Slowly, he walked up to where she was sitting, Faelen creeping along after him. Hesitantly, he sat down on the other side of the bench, not knowing how he should get her attention. Kalea continued crying, seemingly unaware of his presence. Fenris remembered Mira's words the first day Lucy came to the guild.

_Mages of Fairy Tail are all… carrying something._

"Fenris…please go away. I'm really not in the mood to talk right now," she suddenly spoke. Caught off guard, Fenris turned his head and saw her watching him out of the corner of her eye.

"Well that's alright," he said, trying to be casual. "We don't have to talk. I don't feel like talking anyway. I just wanna rest."

He laid his head back and closed his eyes. A few moments later he heard her sniff. Opening one eye, he saw she was looking up at him, her eyes full of tears. As he looked into her eyes, he felt his heart swell. He couldn't take it. He absolutely hated seeing her like this. Out of all the people in the guild, even if he would never admit it, he cared about her the most.

He needed to know why she was acting like this. He needed to understand where her tears were coming from. But it didn't seem like she was going to ever open up to him in that way. So, he made a decision. Maybe if he told her something, she might be willing to share her story.

Fenris had yet to reveal his past to anyone besides the Master because he didn't want any sympathy. He didn't want people feeling sorry for him and begin to treat him differently. He was who he was because of his past. He wasn't going to allow it to take control. But he knew he shouldn't keep it a secret forever. Everyone in the guild was his friend, his family, and they deserved the truth. He decided it was time to reveal it. To Kalea. As he made his decision, he realized he wanted her to know. He wasn't sure why but it just felt right telling her.

"Kalea. I want to tell you something. It's about… why I came to Fairy Tail. It's kind of a long story though. Would you be willing to sit here a while?" he asked.

She looked up at him, eyes still full of tears, and nodded.

_She's so… beautiful… _he thought. Why was he thinking that right now? He shook his head, focusing on what he was about to do. Then he took a deep breath, and began his story. It took him hours. Not only did he tell her what happened, but he told her everything he was feeling throughout it. He told her every little detail about his life, even before the attack. It all spilled out of him with such ease.

By the time he was finished it was dark. The park was lit by Lacrima lights so they could still see but the stars were out and the moon was shining down on the river. Kalea was silent throughout his entire story. When he finally finished, his mouth felt dry. Fenris didn't think he had ever talked for so long. Kalea was still silent, even after his story, which worried him. Was that too much? Did he go too far in revealing so much about himself?

Before he could say anything else, she suddenly threw herself at him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and sobbed uncontrollably into his chest. He was shocked at first. He hadn't expected this reaction. But then, after a moment's hesitation, he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her, rocking back and forth. After a few minutes, she lifted herself from him.

"Fe-Fenris… I'm sorry. I-I didn't know… I-I fe-feel so… s-stupid," she cried out.

He smiled at her. "You aren't stupid. Kalea you're the complete opposite of stupid actually. There's no reason to feel bad. It's in the past," said Fenris.

"But you shouldn't have had to go through that!" she shouted. "You of all people didn't deserve that!"

He looked at her, surprised by both her words and her sudden aggression. He didn't know what she meant.

Then she looked down and muttered, "I'm sorry… I know I'm being a huge crybaby right now. I'm really sorry about what happened to your family and friends. I wish it hadn't… you could've lived a happy life and…" she stopped.

"I am happy though," he reassured her. "I got to come to Fairy Tail. I've met a lot of great people. I've met you…" he trailed off, not sure where he was going.

She jerked her head towards him. Those eyes… she was killing him with those eyes.

She touched his face with one hand. He froze. Her touch was… electric. Her hand was so soft. They sat like that for a minute before she took her hand away and sat up straighter.

"I'd really like if you didn't tell anyone what I'm about to say. Nobody else knows about it, including Master," she said. Fenris nodded, not sure what she was about to say.

She took a deep breath… and began.

**Author's note:**

**And there we have it! Fenris has finally revealed his past to someone else. Not only this, but he's finally getting Kalea to open herself up a little more. Now, the next few chapters we are going back in time to reveal Kalea's past. I'll warn you now, these next few chapters are much more serious than what you've seen up until now and there are some scenes that are a little more M rated rather than T rated. I'll put this warning on the next couple of chapters too but I just wanted to let everyone know now. See you next time!**


	18. Kalea's Story Part 1

**Author's note:**

**Hello once again! Today we are going back in time. Kalea is finally opening up and we get to see why she tends to be so closed off to most people. Now, as I mentioned before, I'm going to change the rating for this chapter and maybe the next few chapters to M rather than T. There are some scenes that may be a mature for some of you if you're young. So just know you've been warned now. Her story isn't a happy one.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. That privilege belongs to Hiro Mashima**

As Kalea looked out her window, a sense of peace slowly overcame her. The snow was covering the roads in a light dusting. She loved when it snowed; it was so peaceful. A knock on her door startled her. She had been so entranced by the falling snow, she didn't even realize her mother was calling her name.

"Coming!" she said, jumping out of bed and hurrying to the door. She opened the door and was greeted with a sharp slap to the face.

"I've been calling you for 10 minutes! What have you been doing?!" her mother screamed at her.

Kalea's eyes filled with tears. She tried not to let them fall, her mother hated it when she cried.

"I need you to go to the store and pick up some things for dinner. Your father won't be home until late tonight so it'll just be us," her mother said.

She thrust a list into Kalea's hands and left without a backwards glance. Kalea gingerly touched the growing bruise on her cheek. It stung to the touch. Still not letting her tears fall, she went back into her room. Casting one more look at the snow outside, she put on a coat and boots and left the house. As she walked the streets of her village, people averted their gaze. Generally, if a small girl with a large bruise on her cheek was walking by herself, there would be questions. But everyone knew about the Baak family.

Kalea lived in a small mining village on the outskirts of Freesia Town. The local coal mine was the village's main source of income. Freesia Town relied on their mine for resources and they outsourced much of the coal to other towns. Unfortunately for her, her father owned that mine.

Although there was a mayor in town, because her father owned the mine, the Baak family held most of the power in their village. So, people didn't ask questions when it came to their daughter. Some had when they saw the bruises on her face years ago. But those people were gone now. Where? Nobody knew. And that's when the questions stopped.

Kalea was used to the bruises at this point in her life. Ever since she could remember, it was like this. She was a sickly child, having been born with an autoimmune disorder that caused her body to have a hard time fighting off most illnesses. Because of this, she was constantly sick. The first time she had gone to the doctor, she had been told that she would have this disorder for the rest of her life unless she visited a healing mage. Her parents had outright refused this option. They despised magic. There were no wizards in their village and both her parents had grown up in families that believed magic was a sin. They believed it was given to people who worshipped evil. So Kalea never received the treatment she truly needed.

Instead, she had to take countless pills every day just to be able to get out of bed. Her medical bills were through the roof and, although her family was not poor, she was constantly told how much of a burden she was with her bills and why she should be grateful for them to be taking such good care of her.

And Kalea accepted this. After all, what other reason could her parents have for their abuse? She deserved this. And besides, what else was there? She had no friends and nobody cared about the bruises on her face. Of course, they were nothing compared to the scars on her back. If she ever put a toe out of line, the belt would come out. She hated the belt. It meant pain. It meant blood. It meant tears. And if the tears came out, she would be punished even more.

As Kalea approached her house with groceries in hand, she hesitated before entering. She wished she could've stayed out longer but it was much too cold for her, especially with her disorder. Entering through the front door, she noticed her mother was in the kitchen. She placed the groceries on the counter and was about to go back to her room when her mother spoke.

"Is that snow on the floor?"

Kalea looked back at the door. From the bottoms of her shoes, snow was dripping onto the floor. Kalea stared in horror. Her mother hated a dirty house.

"Why is there snow on the floor?" she asked.

Kalea looked up at her mother, who was staring at her with a look of pure disdain.

"I-I'm sorry. I thought I-I ha-had gotten it a-all off outside. I-I'll clean it u-up," Kalea stuttered.

Before she could move, her mother disappeared into the living room. Kalea froze. When she came back into view, she was holding the belt.

"Come here."

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Kalea lay on her bed, silently crying into her sheets, her back aching. Her mother would punish her more if she was heard crying. Out of her tear filled eyes, she saw her white sheets stained red.

"Wh-what d-did I d-do w-w-wrong…" she cried into her bed.

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.

Kalea paused in her story at this point. Fenris was so shocked it took him a moment to realize she was no longer speaking. She turned around and began lifting up her shirt.

"Wh-whoa Kalea wai-" Fenris tried to stop her.

He knew what she was showing him. But he didn't want to see it again. Not after hearing why she had those scars. But she didn't stop, instead, she lifted her shirt above her head and showed him the scars on her back. Even though he had seen them once before, he still couldn't believe how many there were. He couldn't believe anyone could do this to Kalea. And her parents of all people.

Kalea pulled her shirt back down and turned around, continuing her story.

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That was just one example of the physical abuse Kalea went through growing up. It was much worse at times. When she was younger, she used to ask herself what she did to deserve this. But as time passed, she stopped asking such silly questions. Her life wasn't going to change. Nobody stood up for her. What was the point in wondering?

But one day, she met someone who finally made her feel as if she was worth something.

As Kalea sat in homeroom, head turned downwards staring at her lap, she heard the door open and close.

"Welcome to homeroom everyone."

Her ears perked up. That wasn't their usual teacher. She lifted her head and saw someone new sitting at the front desk. A woman, who looked to be in her late 30's, was looking around the room. She had short, jet-black hair. Her eyes were framed with large, square glasses and she had a kind, gentle smile.

"My name is Ms. Myku and I will be your new teacher starting today," she said. "I look forward to getting to know everyone here. Now, let's take attendance so I can put some names to faces."

As she began calling out names, Kalea couldn't help stare at Ms. Myku. She had such a kind face. Kalea wasn't used to seeing this.

"Ms. Baak?"

Shaking her head, she heard Ms. Myku call out her name. Slowly, she raised her hand and said, "Here…" in a small voice.

Ms. Myku met her eyes and paused. Her eyes widened for a moment before she composed herself and gave Kalea a warm smile.

"Thank you Ms. Baak," she said kindly.

She continued taking the attendance. Class went by as usual for Kalea until the bell rang. Kalea was always the last to leave the room. Other children tended to trip her when she followed the crowd. She was passing Ms. Myku's desk when she stopped Kalea.

"Wait Ms. Baak. May I speak to you?" Ms. Myku asked.

Kalea paused, not sure what she could want. Had Kalea already done something wrong?

"I-I have another class…" she muttered quietly.

Ms. Myku smiled. "I'll write a note. Please sit down." She indicated a seat in front of the desk.

Kalea hesitantly sat down and took her backpack off.

"Would you like something to drink?" Ms. Myku asked.

Kalea shook her head. Ms. Myku's eyebrows rose but she didn't question Kalea. She got up and walked around the desk to face her. The movement caused Kalea to flinch, which didn't go unnoticed. She pulled a seat in front of Kalea and sat down.

"Ms. Baak. Is there anything you'd like to talk about?" Ms. Myku asked.

Kalea's eyes shot down to her lap.

"No," Kalea said quietly.

"Are you sure?" Ms. Myku responded, just as quietly.

"Yes," said Kalea.

Kalea hoped she wouldn't push anymore. She felt tears in her eyes.

Moments later. "…very well. Let me write you a note. But Kalea."

Kalea's head jerked up at this. None of the teachers called her by her first name.

"If there's anything you'd ever like to talk about, please let me know. I'd like to get to know you better." She smiled at Kalea.

Kalea's mouth quivered. She felt tears fall down her face and she sprung up.

"T-t-thank y-you M-Ms. Myku." She ran out of the room as Ms. Myku handed her the note.

Later that day, as the last bell rang, Kalea was passing the teachers' lounge when she heard a familiar voice say her name.

"…Kalea is in trouble and I believe we should investigate her home life."

Kalea paused. Ms. Myku?

Kalea heard the principal's voice respond, "Ms. Myku, I understand you are new here. If I were you…I would leave this matter be. Mr. Baak…is a fine father. I have met both he and Mrs. Baak and I believe they are very kind, generous people. Mr. Baak was the one who donated money for renovations to this teaching lounge. It's very nice yes?"

"Why does Kalea have a large bruise on her cheek?" came Ms. Myku's voice. "If it isn't something at home, then is she being bullied at school? I find it _extremely _hard to believe an-"

"_Ms. Myku!_" the principal interrupted._"_Enough! I assure you everything is fine with Ms. Baak. Now please, just let this go. It would be much better for you to leave the girl alone and focus on your classes."

Kalea heard footsteps get closer and she panicked. She ran into the closest classroom and hid behind the door. The heavy footsteps slowly faded away and she knew it was safe to go back out. She entered the hallway and saw Ms. Myku walk out of the teachers' lounge at the same time. Ms. Myku noticed her and paused. Looking around to see if anyone was near them, she briskly walked over to Kalea and handed her a piece of paper.

"Please call me if you need someone to talk to Kalea," she said very softly.

She walked away before Kalea could protest. Looking down at the paper, she saw it was a phone number. She hesitated. If her parents saw this they would have a lot of questions. She was about to throw it into the trash when her hand froze. She looked from the paper to the trash bin.

Then, her hands seemingly moving on their own, she slowly put the paper into her pocket. She hurried out of the school and headed home. Making sure there was no dirt on her shoes, she walked inside and hurriedly went to her room. She opened a desk drawer and shoved the piece of paper into it. As she closed the drawer, a sharp voice shouted, "Kalea! Come here and clean the dishes!"

Kalea looked back at the drawer one last time before heading to the kitchen.

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A few weeks after the arrival of Ms. Myku, Kalea had not pulled out the number since putting it in the desk. She was afraid her parents would catch her looking at it.

One morning, her father walked into her room and ripped the sheets away from her. Kalea was roughly shaken awake as her father said, "Take your pills."

He shoved the bottle into her hands. This was her usual routine in the mornings. Before work, her father would come in and force her to take her pills. As he shoved the bottle into her hands, she thought she could smell alcohol. Looking up at him, she confirmed the smell. He was drinking.

He raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Shaking her head, Kalea opened the bottle and took two of the pills. Before she put them in her mouth, her father roughly grabbed her wrist. Flinching at the pain, Kalea paused.

"More," her father said in a deadly quiet voice.

Looking up at him, Kalea wondered what that meant. He took the bottle back from her and took out five more pills. He forced her palm open and threw them into her hand.

"More," he said again.

Kalea stared at the pills. The doctor had told her to only take two at a time or she could overdose. She had to do this five times a day, but if she spaced out the time between pills, she would be fine. According to the doctor at least.

"Eat them," her father said.

"B-but t-th-the doctor sai-" Kalea tried to argue.

"_I don't give a shit what the doctor said! Eat them!_" he bellowed.

He lifted his hand and, out of fear, Kalea put the seven pills into her mouth. Hoping that would satisfy him, she held them under her tongue and waited for him to leave.

"Swallow them," he said.

She stared at him. Was he serious?

"_Swallow them now!_" he shouted.

Out of reflex, she obeyed. As she swallowed the pills, she felt fear seep into her. Her father watched her for a few more moments, then left the room. She waited until she heard the door slam, then jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom. She went to the sink and splashed water on her face.

She was panicking. She knew she had to get the pills out of her system but she was afraid. She couldn't do it. She started to lift her hand to her mouth but stopped. Then, she thought of the number in her drawer. Her dad was gone, but what if her mother heard? Deciding to risk it, she ran to the desk and pulled out number. She took the lacrima phone from her desk and ran back into the bathroom. She hurriedly entered the numbers and listened as the phone dialed.

"_Hello?_" came a voice from the other end.

"M-Ms. Myku?" Kalea said, fear overcoming her.

"_Yes? Who may I ask is speaking?_" said Ms. Myku.

She hesitated. Then, "I-it's Kalea. I-I think I-I'm in trouble. I n-need your help."

"_Where are you?_" Ms. Myku said, rather urgently.

"I'm h-home right now," Kalea said.

"_Meet me in homeroom class before school starts. Come as fast as you can,_" Ms. Myku said.

"T-thank y-you," Kalea said, before quickly hanging up and getting dressed. Grabbing her backpack, she ran out of the room and went to put her shoes on. Her fingers were trembling, causing her to fumble with her shoe strings.

"Are you going to school already?"

Her mother had entered the living room.

"Y-yes…I h-have a school p-project I need to work on s-so I need to g-g-go in early," Kalea said quickly, hoping the lie was enough.

Her mother watched her.

"Fine," was her only response.

She walked to the kitchen. Kalea breathed a sigh of relief then sprinted out the door. She made her way as fast as she could to school and ran into her homeroom. Ms. Myku was there, looking worried. When Kalea ran into the room, she sprang up and said, "Kalea! What's wrong?"

Without thinking, Kalea told her what happened that morning. But instead of including her father in the story, she told Ms. Myku that she accidentally had more pills than she realized because she was tired. Ms. Myku eyed her suspiciously but didn't interrupt.

"I-I don't know what to do! The d-doctor said if I t-take too many I may die! Please! Help me!" Kalea was shouting near the end.

She started to cry. Ms. Myku ran over to her. Thinking she was about to be hit for crying, Kalea screamed and threw up her arms. Then she felt something warm embrace her body. Ms. Myku was hugging her.

"Everything is going to be okay now Kalea," she said in a soothing tone.

Kalea's tears ceased. She didn't understand how she felt. Ms. Myku stroked her back, telling her over and over it would be okay, although she had a hard time believing her. Ms. Myku released her grip on Kalea and rushed to the door, closing it and locking it. Turning on Kalea, she lifted her sleeves, exposing her upper arms.

"Kalea," she said, walking back to her. "I'm going to do something to you and I need you to relax. It may come as a shock, but please don't scream. Nobody can know about this."

Worried, Kalea reluctantly nodded her head. Ms. Myku put both her hands on Kalea's stomach. Suddenly, a bright glow emanated from her hands. Kalea jumped back but Ms. Myku followed her, keeping her hands on her stomach.

"Please Kalea! Calm down! I'll explain after I'm finished," Ms. Myku said, concentrating on her stomach.

A few minutes later, Ms. Myku removed her hands. Kalea touched her stomach.

"What…did you do?" she asked nervously.

Ms. Myku unlocked the door and went back to her desk.

"I healed your stomach. I'm a healer Kalea. A wizard," said Ms. Myku.

Kalea took a step back. She had never met a wizard. And although she was hesitant to believe anything her parents told her, she was still worried.

"H-how can I be sure?" she said.

Ms. Myku smiled. "Unfortunately you can't. You just have to trust me."

"Trust…isn't something I have in people," Kalea said.

Ms. Myku nodded, saying, "I can tell. Kalea…can you please talk to me? I'd like to understand you a little more. Understand what you're going through."

"I'm…not going through anything," Kalea said.

Ms. Myku shook her head. "Kalea, please don't lie to me. I understand you may be hesitant to talk to me…but I just want to help you. Please. Let me help you Kalea. Let me understand you."

Kalea didn't confide in other people. She didn't have friends who she could talk to. Her parents didn't want to hear about her issues. For Ms. Myku to show her such compassion and interest in her life, it was foreign to her. She wasn't sure she should trust this stranger. But Ms. Myku's compassion, her gentle face, her kind smile, attracted Kalea to her. She'd never had anyone be this kind to her, and she realized she desperately longed for more. And so, Kalea opened up. She told Ms. Myku what really happened that morning. And as she spoke, she found she couldn't stop. She told her about her beatings. She told her she had no friends. She told her everything. When she was finally done, tears spilled out of her eyes as Ms. Myku stared at her, a look of shock on her face.

"Kalea…I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry." She hugged her again. This time, Kalea hugged her back. She cried into her shirt, the tears wouldn't stop.

"Kalea, class is going to start soon. After school, please meet me back here. I'd like to discuss some things with you. Is that okay?" said Ms. Myku.

"M-my paren-" Kalea began.

"If your parents have anything to say, they can talk to me," said Ms. Myku, cracking her knuckles.

That afternoon, Kalea made her way back to Ms. Myku's classroom. She opened the door and found her sitting at her desk, studying a piece of paper. Ms. Myku looked up and smiled as Kalea entered the room.

"Kalea! I'm glad you came back," she said.

Kalea went over to sit at the seat in front of the desk. Putting the paper away, Ms. Myku walked around the desk to sit next to Kalea.

"Kalea, I'd like to help you. Would you like some help?" she asked.

Kalea slowly nodded.

"Good," Ms. Myku said. "Before I can do that however, I'd like to know you a little better. I'd like to be your friend. And friends tell each other things. So is there anything you'd like to know about me?"

Kalea thought back to that morning. "How…did you learn magic?"

Ms. Myku laughed. "I didn't learn magic. I was born with it. Both of my parents were wizards, so I also developed powers. Mainly, I'm a healer, although I'm not the strongest healer out there. But I can also levitate objects."

She lifted her hand and Kalea watched as a pencil from her desk slowly floated to her. She grabbed it out of the air and handed it to Kalea. Kalea took it, turning it around in her hand.

"That's…amazing," Kalea said in awe.

"It is isn't it. Are there any wizards living in this village?" Ms. Myku asked.

"No…my dad doesn't like wizards," Kalea said hesitantly. "He made sure there were none here when he had enough money."

"I see. But your father isn't the mayor is he? Does he really have that much power?" Ms. Myku asked.

Kalea explained how her father owned the local mine, giving him great financial power in the village. Ms. Myku nodded.

"I understand. What about you? Are you interested in magic?" Ms. Myku asked.

Kalea hesitated. If she was honest, she was. She had always been fascinated by the idea, but her father's stance against anything to do with it caused her to shy away from the subject.

"Yes…but my dad hates it," said Kalea. "And I wasn't born with any powers. So I guess it doesn't matter."

"Not necessarily true," Ms. Myku interjected. "There are many cases where powers can develop as one grows older. If you really wanted to, I could try to help you learn some."

Kalea shook her head. "No…that's okay."

Ms. Myku frowned. "Well…if you ever change your mind just let me know."

She glanced out the window. "Oh! It's getting dark. Let me write you a note. Give this to your parents and I'm sure everything will be fine. If they still give you a hard time, let me know tomorrow."

She wrote Kalea a note and sent her out the door. Before she left, Kalea turned to Ms. Myku and said, "Ms. Myku? Thank you…very much."

Kalea and Ms. Myku met almost every day after that. They talked about their lives. About their dreams. She finally had someone she could rely on. My. Myku made her laugh. She made her smile. She truly cared about Kalea.

And although she was curious, Kalea never asked Ms. Myku to teach her about magic. She was scared that her father would find out if she developed powers. But one day, she discovered things don't always go to plan.

**Author's note:**

**I hope you enjoyed this first part of Kalea's story. I apologize if it isn't very original. I tried my best to make it as unique as I could and it certainly isn't over just yet. See you next time!**


	19. Kalea's Story Part 2

**Author's note:**

**Hello! Welcome to part 2 of Kalea's story. I'm keeping this rating as an M rather than a T just for safe measure. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. That privilege belongs to Hiro Mashima**

Ms. Myku glanced outside. The sky was beginning to turn a bright orange color as the sun set.

"Goodness!" she exclaimed. "It's getting late already. Let me write you a note and you better be off."

Ms. Myku went to her desk to write Kalea a note. This had become routine when she stayed too late. Although her parents always gave her questionable looks when she handed them her note if she got home late, it was still a legitimate note from a teacher. She handed Kalea the note then stooped to give her a hug goodbye. As Kalea was hugging Ms. Myku, she felt a sudden twinge in the back of her head. Letting go of Ms. Myku, she grabbed her head, flinching at the pain.

"Kalea? Is something wrong?" Ms. Myku asked worryingly.

Shaking her head, Kalea said, "It's…nothing…my head just really hurts all of a sudden."

Kalea stepped back and put a hand on the desk. Her fingers brushed the pencil Ms. Myku had levitated all those weeks ago…and lifted into the air. Kalea watched the pencil slowly float through the air, still holding her head.

"Ms. Myku…what're you doing?" she asked.

Ms. Myku stared at the pencil. "I'm not doing anything…Kalea…I think this is your doing…"

Kalea jumped back, the pencil falling back to the desk at the same time.

"N-no!" she said in panic. "No that wasn't me! It couldn't have been!"

What would her parents think if she could use magic? What would they do?

"Kalea…" Ms. Myku said, slowly approaching. "Sometimes…magical abilities manifest themselves as we grow older. There is a good chance what we're seeing here is your powers awakening."

Kalea panicked. "B-but I can't have powers! My parents hate magic! They-"

Ms. Myku grasped her shoulders. "Kalea. I promise you that, whatever happens, I will protect you. I won't let your parents harm you anymore. Okay? If this is magic, I'll help you. I can teach you things that will help you hone your powers. But…if you really do not want to, I won't force you to do anything. I just want you to be happy Kalea."

Kalea hesitated. If she was honest with herself, she did want to learn magic. Despite her parents views, she thought the idea of magic was a beautiful thing. But what if they found out? Could Ms. Myku really protect her? Her father was a powerful man, he generally got what he wanted.

"I…I'll think about it," she said slowly. "I just don't know if this is a good idea…if I do actually have magic."

Ms. Myku nodded. "I understand Kalea. Just…let me know if you change your mind."

Kalea nodded before taking her leave. When she returned home, she quickly went to her room and shut the door behind her.

_Magic…_she thought. Could she really have magical powers?

She took out a piece of paper to work on her homework, sitting down on her bed. As she picked up her pencil to take notes, she paused.

_How…_

She stared at the pencil. Although she didn't know what she was doing, she sat on her bed, concentrating on the pencil for what felt like hours, one thought in her head.

_Rise._

Nothing happened. Slightly disappointed, Kalea looked at her lacrima clock and saw it was well past her bed time. Sighing, she got changed and put her school work away. _Oh well…I guess it was just some fluke._

The following afternoon, Kalea was in Ms. Myku's room when she brought up magic again.

"Have you thought anymore about my proposition?"

Kalea looked up from her school work. Ms. Myku was eyeing her from her desk.

"N…I don't know," said Kalea. "I…did try to levitate a pencil again but…it didn't work. I think what happened was just a misunderstanding Ms. Myku."

Ms. Myku shook her head and smiled. "No Kalea, I don't think it was. Magic is a wonderful thing. It can bring people together. It can _save_people. It can even save people from themselves. From their doubts, their fears. And I know you carry many doubts Kalea. I know how fearful you are. Please…let me teach you magic. I truly believe it can help you. I truly believe it will bring you happiness."

Happiness…that wasn't something Kalea was used to until she met Ms. Myku. She always seemed to be talking about that. Happiness. If magic could truly make her happy…maybe she should try it?

"O…okay," said Kalea. "I guess I can try it one more time. If it even works."

Ms. Myku smiled brightly and shot up from her seat.

"Perfect!"

She locked the door and went to pick up the pencil from the previous day. Sitting beside her, she handed the pencil to Kalea.

"Now," she said. "Hold the pencil in the palm of your hand. Yes, very good. Now I want you to empty your mind of all other thoughts except one. Lift the pencil. It's going to be hard. But it'll be worth it. Trust me."

She smiled at Kalea again. Kalea couldn't help feel more at ease when she saw that smile. Looking down, she stared at the pencil, trying to concentrate. But as she sat there, her thoughts drifted. Drifted to her parents. What would they say if they found her doing this? Was this a mistake? She couldn't really use magic right? She couldn't use magic, she was…worthless.

Tears filled her eyes. Her hand started to shake. A sudden jerk caused the pencil to slip from her palm onto the floor. Ms. Myku stooped to pick up the pencil. She didn't hand it back to Kalea.

"I think that's good for now," she said. "This isn't something you can do on your first try. We can try again tomorrow."

Kalea nodded and stood up. "I'm sorry."

Ms. Myku shook her head. "Please don't apologize Kalea. There's nothing to be sorry for. We can take this at a slow pace. No rush. We have plenty of time."

That night, Kalea's thoughts turned to her sorry attempt at magic. Could she really do this? Use magic? No…she was worthless. Just like her parents always told her.

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The next few weeks, Kalea continued her feeble attempts at magic with Ms. Myku. She made no progress lifting the pencil. As time passed, her conviction lessened, until eventually she started feeling like she did before meeting Ms. Myku.

One afternoon, when Kalea entered her room, she found Ms. Myku at her desk as usual. But this time she had a serious expression on her face. Seemingly startled out of her thoughts, Ms. Myku looked up at Kalea as she entered.

"Kalea. I'm glad you're here. I have something different planned for today. Let's take a break on practicing magic okay?"

Kalea couldn't lie, she was pleased. Practicing magic was taking a toll on her mental health. Sitting in her usual seat, Kalea put her things down and let her head drift to her lap.

"Kalea," came Ms. Myku's voice.

She didn't lift her head. Ms. Myku walked around her desk and stood in front of Kalea. Hesitantly, Kalea lifted her head and looked up at Ms. Myku. She had a slight frown on her face.

"Kalea, I'd like to discuss something with you," Ms. Myku said.

"…yes?" Kalea responded.

She pulled up a chair and sat across from her.

"What makes you happy?" Ms. Myku asked.

"H-happy?" Kalea said.

"Yes. Happy. What makes you happy?" she asked again.

Kalea thought about it. What did make her happy? And as she thought, she realized she couldn't find an answer.

"I…don't have an answer Ms. Myku," she said.

She nodded. "I had a feeling you'd say that. Listen Kalea…I've gotten to know you a little better these past few months. And I've been able to see how unhappy you are. I wish…there was something I could do for you. I really do."

Tears formed in her eyes as she spoke.

"The truth is Kalea…there are a lot of people in this world that are going to hurt you," said Ms. Myku.

The tears started to fall, but her voice never wavered.

"But some day," she continued. "You'll find someone _worth_suffering for. One day…you'll meet someone who will appreciate you for everything someone else took for granted."

She hugged Kalea, who's eyes were watering.

"You might not recognize them when you first meet them," said Ms. Myku, slowly rubbing her back. "But that's the best thing about love and happiness. They're almost synonymous with each other. And most of the time, they show up when we least expect it. You're going to find your happiness one day Kalea. I just know it."

They sat there, embracing each other, for another few minutes. Eventually, Ms. Myku withdrew, wiping her eyes with her sleeves.

"I'm sorry Kalea," she said shakily. "I didn't mean to get so emotional. But I hope you take what I said to heart. Stand up for yourself. Believe in yourself. You're a strong girl Kalea. Stronger than you know."

Still crying, Kalea thought to herself, _I wish I could believe you…_

That night, Kalea sat in bed, thinking over what Ms. Myku said. She really did want to believe in herself. And maybe…the first step was conquering her fear of being able to use magic. Her parents hatred towards it had distracted her during her lessons. It was time to take them more seriously.

From then on, Kalea gave her all in Ms. Myku's lessons. And one day, a few weeks later, her efforts finally payed off.

.

.

.

She sat in Ms. Myku's room, concentrating on that pencil, when it gave a small jerk. Her eyes widened for a moment, then she focused even more closely on the pencil. It jerked one more time, then shot into the air. It rose above her head, halting a few feet above her. Ms. Myku shouted in surprise, causing Kalea to lose her concentration. The pencil dropped to the floor, but Kalea didn't notice. Ms. Myku had wrapped her arms around her, congratulating her on her achievement. Kalea beamed, thanking Ms. Myku for all of her help.

"It was all you Kalea," said Ms. Myku. "You're hard work is finally paying off. I told you, you could do it! Now, what I would tell you to do is practice at home but I have a feeling that would be a bad idea. So instead, what we'll do is move forward with your lessons at a faster pace. We'll have to make up for the time you can't practice outside of this room."

Ms. Myku stood up and went to the back of her room. She opened a door and went inside. A few moments later, she came back out with a small cardboard box. Coming up to Kalea, she gave her the box.

"Go ahead and open it," she said.

Kalea hesitated before opening the box. Inside, she found what looked like a small cake. Her eyes widened, the cake smelled delicious.

"Take a bite," said Ms. Myku, smiling.

She handed Kalea a fork from her desk and Kalea took a bite of the cake. It tasted _amazing_!

"What is this?!" Kalea exclaimed.

Still smiling, Ms. Myku said, "It's called a mille-feuille. It's a dessert I picked up on during my travels when I was younger. It's good isn't it?"

"It's incredible!" said Kalea, taking another bite.

"If you'd like, I can bring you some occasionally," Ms. Myku said. "I enjoy baking and it's always fun to see others enjoy my food."

Kalea nodded enthusiastically, excited for what she had in store. After that day, Ms. Myku had Kalea levitate different objects around the room for her next lessons. As the objects grew in size, it took more energy for Kalea to lift them but over time she was able to master everything Ms. Myku threw at her.

Her mastery of magic astounded Ms. Myku, who told her how impressed she was with such little time to practice. Every so often, Ms. Myku would bring the mille-feuille as a special treat. These lessons, on top of her growing confidence thanks to Ms. Myku, finally gave her a reason to be happy again.

But life does a good job at knocking us down, especially when we're at our happiest.

.

.

.

Kalea woke up one Saturday from the sun shining through her window. It was a warm morning, spring was finally making way for summer. Kalea rubbed her eyes and slowly got out of bed. Stretching, her eyes wandered around her room until they fell on her desk. Her notebook was there, open to the page she had been taking notes the previous night.

Kalea's eyes focused on her pencil. She was making steady progress with her magic and was always looking forward to her lessons with Ms. Myku. However, the more excited she became, the more she wanted to practice magic. She found herself thinking about it almost every second of the day.

She gazed at the pencil…it couldn't hurt to practice for a little bit right? She was much more adept now. She could hide it if her parents showed up. Looking around as if they were listening in on her, she made her way to her desk.

Picking up the pencil, she concentrated on the wall in the back of her mind where her magic was held. Breaching the wall, the pencil lifted into the air until it was level with her eyes. Smiling, Kalea watched the pencil slowly bob up and down for a few minutes.

"KALEA!"

The pencil dropped to the floor. Kalea whirled around and saw her mother staring at her, eyes wide with horror. Suddenly scared, Kalea ran to her bed and hid under the covers as if her blanket hid her from her mother.

The blanket was quickly whipped off her and Kalea was yanked off her bed. Her mother dragged her into the living room and threw her onto the floor. She stomped out of the room, leaving Kalea sitting on the ground. Moments later, her mother returned, followed by her father. He was holding the belt.

Glaring down at Kalea, her father put on a scowl.

"What evil have you been worshipping Kalea?" He cracked the belt.

"I-I-I d-di-didn't w-w-" she stuttered.

"_Silence!_" screamed her mother. "Don't lie! I saw what you were doing!"

Kalea flinched at her mother's voice.

"After everything we've done for you, this is how you repay us?! You _ungrateful!_" She hit her.

"_Little!_"

Again.

"_Brat!_"

Again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

Kalea was thrown to the ground, her cheek stinging from her mother's hand. Her father looked on, no pity in his eyes.

"We're doing this for your sake Kalea," he said. "You'll understand when you're older. You _deserve_this. You _need _this. This is _your fault!_" With his last sentence, he whipped the belt out. Kalea panicked, backing up until she hit the couch. There was nowhere she could go.

Her mother took her arm and violently threw her onto the ground so she was laying on her stomach.

"This is your fault Kalea," her father said again.

And the belt came down. All Kalea could feel was pain as her back was ripped open.

Again.

And again.

And again.

Her tears were unheeded as her mother watched on. Her entire being was _pain_. As her vision started to fade, she welcomed the blessed relief. At least she would no longer feel pain if she blacked out.

As she slowly faded into blissful unconsciousness, she thought, _…why…do I deserve this…_

.

.

.

Kalea didn't go to school for a few weeks after that day. She couldn't get out of bed or else her back would rip open again from the numerous scabs. Her parents gave the school some kind of excuse, not that it mattered. Her father could say anything he wanted and they'd believe him. Or at least pretend to.

While she laid in bed, Kalea didn't think about much. The pain from her back distracted her from everything else. She didn't think she had ever cried as much as she did in those few weeks. Her parents came in twice a day to put a plate of food on her bed, but other than this they left her alone. Her pills were kept beside the bed so they didn't have to enter the room otherwise.

One morning, about a week after her beating, Kalea lay in bed, staring at the ground when her eyes found the pencil. She stared at it, tears filling her eyes again.

_This…is all my fault_, she thought. _If I had just listened to Ms. Myku…this wouldn't have happened. If I just did what I was told…this wouldn't have happened._

The longer she was in bed, the longer she had to think about what happened to her. And the longer she thought about it, the more she blamed herself until, on the day she was finally able to return to school, she was fully convinced she was to blame.

For everything.

For her problems. For her parents problems. For everyone's problems. Why else did she have to endure this pain? She had to deserve it. Right?

When she limped into Ms. Myku's classroom a few weeks later, Ms. Myku stared at her, eyes wide. She didn't say anything to Kalea, but she watched her like a hawk as Kalea sat down at her seat.

Throughout the rest of the day, Kalea mindlessly attended the rest of her classes, not paying attention to anything her teachers had to say. The pain was still too much. When the final bell rang for the end of the day, Kalea made her way to the exit when a hand touched her shoulder.

"Kalea," came Ms. Myku's voice.

Kalea didn't respond. Her gaze dropped to the ground.

"Kalea…please come with me," said Ms. Myku.

Not having the energy to argue, Kalea allowed herself to be guided to Ms. Myku's room.

Closing the door behind them, Ms. Myku led her to her own desk, sitting Kalea down in her seat.

"Kalea," she began, gently rubbing Kalea's back.

Kalea reacted without thinking. Her back still ached at the slightest touch. She screamed in pain and tore away from Ms. Myku, falling to the ground as she went to get out of the chair.

Tears started falling down her cheeks again. She cradled her arms, curling up into a ball on the floor. Ms. Myku looked on, tears filling her own eyes.

"Kalea…please talk to me. What happened?" She avoided her back this time, touching Kalea's shoulder as she stooped down.

Kalea shook her head, refusing to talk. She thought Ms. Myku would try to get her to talk again, but she didn't. Instead, she sat with Kalea on the ground, allowing her to cry her frustrations away. They both sat in that position for a while longer. Eventually, Kalea was able to lift herself off the floor. Rubbing her eyes, she saw Ms. Myku watching her, a frown on her face.

"Kalea…what…happened to your back?" said Ms. Myku.

Looking down, Kalea saw her shirt had been scrunched up as she lay on the ground. Her lower back had been partially exposed, revealing a few scabs. Pulling her shirt back down, Kalea shook her head vigorously.

"Nothing!" she said. "N-nothing happened! Please j-just leave me alone!"

She tried to stand up but Ms. Myku held her in place.

"Kalea. Please turn around and let me see your back," said Ms. Myku.

Kalea started to protest but Ms. Myku wouldn't let her arm go. She struggled against her grip, but it was like iron.

"Kalea, I need to see your back," she said again. "Please. I'm not going to give in on this. I _need _to see your back Kalea. Now."

She forced Kalea to turn around and gently lifted her shirt up a few inches. Kalea tried to stop her, but Ms. Myku was much stronger. She paused, looking at her back. Then, she gently pulled her shirt back down. Helping Kalea up, Ms. Myku walked over to her desk and opened a drawer. She pulled out a small jar full of pink liquid.

"Kalea, please sit down and turn away from the window. I'm going to have to take your shirt off for this," she said.

Kalea numbly sat down and faced the wall. Ms. Myku locked her door and closed her blinds to the window. Taking the jar, she walked over the Kalea and helped her pull her shirt off. Kalea crossed her arms, a sudden chill making her shiver. Ms. Myku started rubbing the pink liquid onto her back, making Kalea even colder. A few minutes later, she closed the jar and walked back to her desk, putting it away. Kalea stood up and pulled her shirt back on. Her back oddly felt better.

"That liquid is imbued with healing magic. It will help with your recovery," Ms. Myku said.

Ms. Myku led Kalea back to her own desk and sat her down. "Kalea, I'd like you to please stay her for a while. There's something I need to do."

"W-what is it?" Kalea asked.

Ms. Myku smiled down at her. "It's just something I need to do. Please don't worry yourself about it."

"W-wait! I-I d-don't want you t-to go!" Kalea shouted.

Ms. Myku put one hand on her cheek. "I promise I'll be right back Kalea."

She walked to the door, unlocking it. As she was walking out, she hesitated, turning back to face Kalea. She gave her a smile but…this one was different. It seemed so…sad.

"Kalea…always remember what I told you. One day, you're going to meet someone who will treat you the way you deserve to be treated. Who will look at you…and see the beauty you couldn't see in yourself," she said.

She gave her one last smile and turned back to the hallway. Before Kalea could respond, Ms. Myku closed the door behind her. Kalea stared door, wishing she had said something. Wishing she had convinced her to stay.

**Author's note:**

**There was a small throwback to a previous chapter here. Did anyone see it? Next time we continue with part 3 of Kalea's story. See you then!**


	20. Kalea's Story Part 3

**Author's note:**

**Hello! Here we have the third and final installment of Kalea's story. Once again, I am keeping this chapter as an M rating not a T rating. There is one scene in particular that may be a little much for some viewers. Please be advised you have been warned, although I tried to keep it as mild as possible.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. That privilege belongs to Hiro Mashima**

Kalea stayed in Ms. Myku's room for hours, waiting for her to return. She sat at her desk, wondering what Ms. Myku could've been doing. She watched the sky grow dark as the day wore on into night.

_What could be taking her so long?_

Just as Kalea was beginning to tire, she heard footsteps in the hallway. Jumping up, she ran to the door to meet Ms. Myku and threw it open. But Ms. Myku's smiling face wasn't there to greet her. Her father stood in front of her, frowning down at Kalea.

"We're going home Kalea," he said.

He forcefully grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the room. Kalea was panicking. Why was he here? Where was Ms. Myku? She was too afraid of her father to ask these questions however, so she reluctantly allowed herself to be dragged back home.

Her father brought her to her room and threw her in. Kalea fell to the floor, her back still aching her despite Ms. Myku's healing ointment. He slammed the door behind him, locking it from the outside. Kalea stared after him, wondering what was going on. She heard the footsteps recede and walked over to her desk. She picked up the lacrima phone and went into her bathroom.

Closing the door, she dialed the phone number she memorized weeks ago and brought the phone to her ear.

_Ring._

_Ring._

_Ring._

_Ring._

_Ring._

…_Hello!_

Kalea breathed a sigh of relief. Shortly followed by a wave of disappointment.

_Sorry I missed your call! Please leave me a message…_

Kalea hung up. She'd have to ask Ms. Myku what happened tomorrow after school. She went back to her room, putting the phone on her desk, and changed for bed. Laying down on her stomach, Kalea tried to think about what could've happened.

Where did Ms. Myku go after leaving the school? Why wasn't she picking up her phone? How had her father known where she was? Hopefully she could find these answers tomorrow. Hopefully…

The following day, Kalea walked into the classroom to find the front desk empty. Students were filing in, some already in their seats talking with their friends. Kalea made her way to her own desk and sat down quietly. The bell rang for the first class to begin, but Ms. Myku was nowhere to be found. Other students started to realize they had no teacher yet.

"Where's Ms. Myku?"

"Do we get to leave in 15 minutes?"

"No teacher! No work!"

Everyone started getting excited when the door opened. Their principal walked in, silencing the students almost at once.

"Hello students," he said. "As you can see, Ms. Myku is not here today. Unfortunately, she will not be here tomorrow either. Ms. Myku is no longer teaching at this school so we will be looking for a replacement starting today. Due to the…unforeseen circumstances, we were unprepared for this so you will have substitute teachers from here on until we can find a permanent replacement for Ms. Myku. I do apologize for this. It was not our intention to leave you stranded for the rest of the semester. However, classes will still continue, so please respect your substitutes. For today, I will be substituting in for Ms. Myku."

He went to her desk to pull out their curriculum. Reading it over, the principal went to the blackboard and began writing their notes they were to take for the day. While her fellow students pulled out pencils and notebooks, Kalea didn't budge. She could only watch as the principal wrote down their notes.

Ms. Myku…was gone?

But…she promised she would come back. She promised she would help her. Tears filled her eyes as she tried to pretend this was all a joke. Ms. Myku would run into the room at any moment, a smile on her face, and tell Kalea everything would be alright.

But she didn't.

And after that day, everything was as far from all right as it could be.

When Kalea returned home that afternoon, she found both of her parents sitting in the kitchen. As she entered, they turned their heads towards her, their faces expressionless. Her father stood up and strode over to her. Kalea looked down at her feet as he approached. She just wanted to go to her room. She just wanted to get away.

"Look at me," came her father's voice.

Kalea hesitantly looked into her father's eyes. They were filled with disdain.

"Your mother and I have talked, and we believe it is time to continue with your punishment. You still have much to repent from your sinful actions," he said.

Kalea was horrified. She thought that was all over. They wanted to continue to punish her? Kalea started to shake uncontrollably. She couldn't handle that anymore. She shook her head, eyes drawn back to her feet.

"No?" he said sarcastically. "This isn't a question of yes or no. This is for _you _Kalea. This is so you realize what you've done. What _sinful _things you've done."

Her mother walked up from behind him, carrying the belt. Not wanting to go through that torture again, Kalea quickly turned around and tried to sprint back out the door, but her father was too strong for her. He gripped her arm and held her in place. Kalea started to cry. She didn't care if they saw anymore. She just wanted it all to stop.

"P-pl-please!" she exclaimed. "I-I-I'm y-your d-daughter! W-w-w-why a-are y-you doing th-this to me?" she cried at them.

Her expression never changing, her mother ignored her. Instead, she brought the belt down as hard as she could.

And once again…Kalea felt only pain.

.

.

.

They didn't punish her nearly as long as the first time. They told her she still needed to go to school. Education was _important._

But as Kalea lay in bed, numb from everything but the pain in her back, she couldn't help feel as if school was the most unimportant thing right now. Ms. Myku was gone. The one person who she thought she could trust. The one person who made her believe her life could be different.

Now that trust was gone. There was nobody who was coming to help her anymore. Nobody to hold her, telling her it would be all right. She had nobody.

The following week went by excruciatingly slow for Kalea. Every night, without exception, her punishment was due. And every night, she would lie awake in bed, never sleeping. All she could feel was pain. By the time the weekend was finally upon her, Kalea felt broken. Her body. Her mind. Everything about her was broken.

The Saturday after Ms. Myku disappeared, Kalea was woken by her father, who thrust her pills into her sleepy face and left the room without saying a word. Kalea stared at the bottle without really seeing it. She stayed like this for hours, until she finally realized she needed to take them.

Not able to get up, Kalea reached her other hand around to open the bottle and poured the pills into her hand. As she did so, she accidentally poured more than she had intended. She stared at the pills, then, she poured even more into her hand. She tilted the bottle until every single pill was sitting in her hand.

She…could get the pain to end if she really wanted to. She could get everything to end if she wanted to. She didn't have Ms. Myku anymore to help her. She had to help herself. And she could…she just had to swallow the pills.

All the pain. All the anguish. It could go away. It could go away in the blink of an eye. She'd finally have peace. She would no longer be in pain.

She felt…hopeless. She felt numb. Numb to everything around her except the pain in her back. But if she took these pills…she could save herself. Nobody would care if she did it. Nobody would remember her. Maybe this was best? Maybe this was what she was meant to do all along. Maybe…she was never even meant to be born. Her life was some huge mistake. Some huge joke.

Her hands started to shake.

_This is for the best._

They slowly crept towards her mouth.

_It had to be this way._

They were mere inches away.

_Nobody will miss me…_

Moments before the pills touched her lips, her hands shook so violently she spilled them onto the floor. She clutched her hand to her chest, trying to suppress her shaking. She started to cry, her head felt dizzy.

_I'm…such a coward…_

She couldn't do it. She looked down at the pills and suddenly felt a wave of nausea. She threw her head over the side of her bed and threw up. She stayed in that position, eventually drifting back to sleep.

When Kalea awoke, it was already dark. Her room was pitch black. It was obvious her parents hadn't bothered to see how she was doing since her father had been there that morning.

She struggled off the bed, lighting a lamp and limping to the bathroom to wash herself. When she returned to her room, she went to her desk and sat down, absently staring around her room. She saw the pile of pills on the floor and quickly looked away, the sight causing her to feel nauseous again.

If she couldn't go through with it…what else was there? Did that mean she had to endure this torture for the rest of her life?

_Don't ever let negative people dictate your life Kalea…_

No. She couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't take the constant fear anymore. It was time to leave.

As quickly as she could, Kalea gathered some clothes and shoes into a bag. She grabbed a few more items she thought might be useful and walked to her door. She passed the pills on the floor and hesitated. If she didn't take them…she could die.

Shaking her head, she walked away from the pills. She would find another way.

Opening the door as quietly as she could, Kalea peaked her head into the hallway. All was silent in the house. As slowly as she could, she crept towards the front door. Entering the kitchen, a floorboard creaked underneath her foot. She stopped, listening for any sounds from her parents room.

Nothing.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Kalea continued to the front door. Exiting the house, Kalea couldn't believe it. She actually made it out!

She walked to the road, looking back one more time. The outside world was foreign to her. And although she had felt nothing but pain in her house, it was at least familiar to her. Could she survive out there? Did she have the strength to move on?

Squaring her shoulders, Kalea turned away from her house, from her parents, from her old life. It was time to move on. To where? She had no idea. But anything was better than living with regret.

.

.

.

As Kalea walked along the main road, she felt extremely fatigued. It had been three weeks since she left her village. Kalea wasn't sure where she should go, but since there was only one road in and out of her village, she at least had a start.

She passed through Freesia Town as quickly as she could, seeing as most of the people there knew her family and knew what she looked like. Luckily, that went without incident.

She had a little money with her, so she was able to eat at least once a day, but due to her condition, her health was beginning to deteriorate. She didn't have her pills anymore so she had nothing to combat the disorder from taking over.

She mainly slept on the side of the road, seeing as she wanted to save her money for food, and was starting to get very dirty. She had been in a rush when leaving and only packed a few pairs of outfits. Since she had no way of cleaning them, they were all beginning to get disgusting.

Many people stopped her, asking what she was doing, but she ignored them. She had come to a decision while walking. Kalea wasn't meant to have friends. To have people who cared about her. Most people were going to hurt her. She learned that growing up.

And even if there was somebody who tried to help her…they'd leave her in the end. Just like Ms. Myku did. It was better this way. It was better to close herself off to the world. Better to push others away. She couldn't get hurt this way.

Right?

And so it was that Kalea unwillingly made her way south. Slowly but surely, she headed straight for the town of Magnolia. Not realizing she was headed straight to the person who would change her life forever.

Around a month after leaving her home, she entered a forest outside of Magnolia. Of course, Kalea didn't know this, she was just trying to follow the road as far as she could. She'd walk as far away as she could before her disorder didn't allow her to walk any further.

Upon entering the forest, Kalea spotted a short, balding man resting among the trees. Hoping he wouldn't notice her, Kalea continued on her way. She passed the old man, who seemed too distracted by some sort of magazine to notice her, and thought she was in the clear when she heard a voice behind her.

"And where might a young lady such as yourself be headed all on your own?"

Wishing he could've minded his own business, Kalea didn't respond. She continued walking but the old man got up to follow her. He was more sprightly then he looked.

"You look lost my child. Are you far from your home?" he asked.

No response.

"I see…" said the man.

He followed her for a long time, making Kalea feel slightly uncomfortable. What did he have in mind?

"Do you need help?" he asked.

Kalea abruptly stopped walking.

An image of Ms. Myku swam into her vision.

_Please call me if you need someone to talk to…_

"N-no!" she shouted.

She hadn't meant to respond. Something about the old man caused her to think about Ms. Myku and it just came out of her. He crossed his arms and watched her before responding.

"I can sense great pain in you child," he said. "Great turmoil. What is troubling you? Sometimes it helps to have someone just to talk to. I'm a great listener." He threw her a wide smile.

Although she didn't want to admit it, Kalea couldn't help feel slightly more at ease when the old man smiled at her. He emitted a comfortable, warming aura. She felt her guard start to fall, and, looking at his smile one more time, her resolve crumbled. She fell to the ground, tears flowing down her cheeks. The old man wrapped his short arms around her, covering her in warmth.

"There, there," he said soothingly. "Everything is going to be alright now. I can help you. Please…let me help you."

Despite telling herself she no longer needed help from others, that she could fend for herself, Kalea felt herself nod at these words. Who was she fooling? She'd always need to rely on others. She was weak…she was worthless…

Kalea allowed herself to be dragged along the forest to an odd house. The old man had introduced himself as Master Makarov. He asked her what her name was, but Kalea didn't respond. She felt numb again.

Entering the house, Kalea saw a very tall, very old woman sitting on a rocking chair, knitting what looked like a sweater. She had bright pink hair and held an intimidating scowl on her face as they entered.

"Makarov!" the lady said. "What do you want? You know I hate it when you come here without asking first."

Master Makarov threw his hands up in apology. "I'm sorry Porlyusica. I honestly had no intention of visiting you today, but I came upon a young girl who I believe is in need of your attention."

The woman named Porlyusica glowered at Kalea as if this was all her fault. Used to this kind of treatment, Kalea gazed down at her feet. Master Makarov gently touched her chin with one hand and lifted her head up.

"Look up dear," he said gently. "Porlyusica may seem a bit harsh, but she always means well."

Eyes avoiding Porlyusica, Kalea awkwardly stood there as she was surveyed by the woman. Porlyusica walked around her, examining her entire body. Finally, she planted her feet in front of Kalea and crossed her arms.

"You've been through much child. I can see that. Please don't move," said Porlyusica.

Without warning, she put both of her hands on Kalea's shoulders, holding her in place with a surprisingly firm grip. Her hands started to glow.

_Magic!_

Suddenly, Kalea thought back to Ms. Myku. Thought back to how betrayed she felt. She wanted to get away. She _needed _to get away. These people were wizards.

Trying to escape, Kalea attempted to turn around but Porlyusica wouldn't let her go. She felt a strange tickling feeling run through her body as the hands on her shoulders glowed even more brightly.

_What is she doing to me?! What do these people want?!_

"P-p-please let me go!" Kalea shouted.

Porlyusica ignored her, continuing her work. Master Makarov touched her lightly on the arm. She flinched away from him.

"We are just trying to help you my child. That is all," he said.

"I-I don't w-want your help!" her shouts were becoming more frantic.

Just as she thought she could never escape, Porlyusica released her. She fell to the floor and crossed her arms over her chest, wondering what was going to happen next. She had to escape, she just didn't know how.

Should she try to use her magic? She hadn't made an attempt at using it since she was caught by her parents. She wanted it all to go away.

The magic.

The memories.

"Stand up," said Porlyusica.

Shaking her head, Kalea stayed where she was. She didn't want to be around these people anymore. She wanted to escape.

"I must examine your body to be sure I have rid you of your disease altogether," said Porlyusica.

Kalea's head shot up.

"W-what…?"

"I rid your body of your autoimmune disorder. I must examine you to be sure there are no lingering aftereffects," she said blandly.

Kalea looked between the old lady and Master Makarov. What did she mean? She got rid of her disease? Kalea suddenly remembered what the doctors told her when she first found out about her disease.

_Only a powerful healing wizard will be able to cure you completely. Unfortunately, the only thing we can do is suppress the disorder with these pills. You'll never be cured with these, but it will help you live a somewhat more comfortable life._

Was this true? Had she been cured?

As she sat there, she realized she did feel better. The constant headache she always had was gone. Her stomach felt fine. Although her limbs were weak from her travels, they didn't have the deep aches she always felt growing up.

"D-did you really cure me?" she asked.

"If you would just stand up I can see if everything is gone, yes," scowled Porlyusica.

Master Makarov held out one hand to her.

"We are here to help you my child. I would never lie," he said softly.

Kalea's eyes filled with tears. Maybe…she couldn't necessarily trust these people. But she could at least listen to what they had to say. Standing up with help from Master Makarov, Kalea crossed her arms while Porlyusica gave her one last examination.

A few minutes later, she said, "I believe I have eradicated the disease from your body. It is going to take you a long time to recover. You've been living this with most of your life from what I can gather. It's going to take years to fully recover what you've lost."

Kalea nodded, accepting this. If it meant she no longer had to take pills just to get out of bed, she didn't care. She was free. Free from her disease. It was as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

She realized that her disease had reminded her of her parents. They both shackled Kalea down. They both held her back from being what she could be. And now they were both gone.

She felt better. At least a little bit.

She still didn't feel as if she could trust anybody. She learned growing up that trust was a fragile concept. When she had finally given it to someone, they betrayed her. They left her.

No, she couldn't ever truly trust anybody again. But she could try to move on. Try to start a new life. Maybe Master Makarov could help her achieve this. Kalea thanked Porlyusica and made her way back to the forest with Master Makarov.

As they walked, Master Makarov explained where they were and who he was.

"….the town of Magnolia and I am a guild master here. I am in charge of a guild called Fairy Tail. Have you ever heard of it?"

Kalea shook her head.

"I see. Tell me, what is your name my child?" he asked.

Kalea hesitated before responding, "Kalea."

He smiled at her.

"Well Kalea, do you have any magical abilities of your own?"

She didn't respond at first. Was it okay to trust this complete stranger with that information? Maybe not. But she had to fend for herself now. Maybe it was important to continue developing her powers. If not for anything else then to be able to survive in this world.

"I…can levitate things," she said.

"Really? That is amazing! Why don't you show me?" he asked her, picking up a twig from the ground.

He handed it to her and, after a moment's hesitation, she took it.

Concentrating, she lifted the twig a few inches off her hand. As she did so, Ms. Myku's image flashed across her eyes. Her concentration broke and the stick fell to the ground. She watched it fall and felt as if her own heart was falling. Would it be like this if she used magic again?

Master Makarov interrupted her thoughts. "Kalea…is there anything you'd like to talk to me about?"

_Ms. Myku…_

"No…" she said.

"Hmmmmm. I see. I won't push you my child. However…" He put a hand on her arm once again. She flinched away at the contact.

"I believe you have much more in you than you realize," he continued. "I thought I could feel something when I touched your arm back at Porylusica's house. I believe there is much more to your power then simple levitation. If you'd like…you could come with me. I can help you. Help you develop your powers. Or at least give you a place to stay while you recover. Please, allow me to do this for you."

He smiled at her again. There was something about that smile…

"Why do you want to help me?" she asked.

"I believe…in the good in people," he said. "I believe everyone carries something deep in their hearts. We all have our own troubles my child. When I see someone in trouble, especially if they are on their own, I can't help but want to help them. It's an unfortunate habit of mine. And I can tell you are in need of assistance. Please Kalea…come with me. Come to Fairy Tail. There are many young children there around your age. I believe we can help you out of whatever darkness you are going through."

Master Makarov's words hit home so badly that Kalea felt her eyes fill with tears. Everything he said was true. And he reminded her so much of Ms. Myku. But Ms. Myku was gone. Would he abandon her just like Ms. Myku had? Would he give her hope then crush it just like before? There was no way of knowing. Kalea had to take a leap of faith. But faith wasn't something she had in excess. Should she go with him?

"….okay. I'll come with you," she finally said.

His smile widening, Master Makarov gently took her hand and guided her out of the forest. His hand felt oddly warm.

As they exited the forest, they came upon a bustling town, the biggest she had ever seen, and Kalea spotted a giant cathedral near the middle of it. She couldn't help but think how beautiful it was.

Master Makarov guided her through the streets of Magnolia, talking to her about the guild and explaining about jobs and where she could live. Kalea barely paid him any attention. She was distracted by the large buildings and the immense crowd swarming the streets.

Before she knew it, they were stopped in front of a magnificent looking building with the name 'Fairy Tail' inscribed above the large wooden doors.

"This is it!" he said proudly.

Kalea couldn't deny it, the building was impressive. Before she could fully take it in, Master Makarov was dragging her through the front door. Kalea realized she wasn't ready to be introduced to a large crowd of people. She began to protest but her words went unheeded.

He burst through the doors and Kalea stared in awe at the room before her. It was filled with long tables, where a huge crowd was sitting and laughing. The chatter around the room filled her ears and she couldn't help but want to put her hands over her ears and leave. This was all too much at once.

When people started to realize Master Makarov entered the guild, he was greeted with waves but he held a hand up, silencing the guild almost at once.

"Listen up everyone," he said. "Today, a new member will be joining us. I would like everyone to say hello to Kalea Baak."

Suddenly, all eyes were on her. She could feel heat rise to her cheeks. She was about to let her eyes drift back down to her feet when she spotted someone staring at her.

A young boy, she guessed he was around her age, stared at her with a giant dog sitting next to him. He had the strangest hair she had ever seen. It was a pure silver color, his eyes matching his hair. She had never seen anyone with that color hair.

_One day, you're going to meet someone who will treat you the way you deserve to be treated. Who will look at you…and see the beauty you couldn't see in yourself…_

Her eyes widened for a moment. Why was she thinking of that now?

She felt her cheeks burn even more and realized she needed to get away from all the stares. Spotting an empty table at the far end of the room, she made her way towards it. Sitting down, she stared at her lap, trying to ignore all the staring eyes.

Clearing his throat, the Master continued. "Yes…well. I hope everyone will help make Kalea feel at home. We are all a family, and now so is she."

He walked over to the bar and ordered a drink. An awkward silence fell around the guild. Then, slowly, people went back to their conversations. Kalea sat there for the rest of the day, ignoring people who made an attempt at introducing themselves. She wasn't ready for all of this. She wasn't sure if she ever would be.

Near the end of the day, out of the corner of her eyes, she spotted the silver haired boy make his way to the bar where the Master sat. As she watched him, she felt a slight compression around her heart. Her hand went up to her chest.

_What…was that…_

**Author's note:**

**And there we have it! Kalea is all caught up to Fenris now. That ends her story and next chapter we return to the two of them in the park. On a serious note, if you are ever having suicidal thoughts, just know there's someone out there who wants to help you. Talk to someone, anyone. Message me! I'm always willing to lend an ear or a word. It's never too late to ask for help.**

**See you next time!**


	21. Chapter 14

**Author's note:**

**Hello once again! This chapter we return to the present with Kalea finishing her story.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. That privilege belongs to Hiro Mashima**

As Kalea told her story, Fenris could only listen in horror. How could someone do this to a child?

To _Kalea _of all people. He got angry. Not at her. At her situation. Before he even realized it, Kalea had stopped talking, her story completed.

"You pretty much know how the rest goes," Kalea said. "Master Makarov eventually helped me deduce what my powers actually were. Turns out I took Ms. Myku's levitating ability when I was younger, I just didn't realize it."

Her hands tightened at the name.

"Sometimes…" she paused before continuing. "I wonder if I did the right thing. Sometimes…I w-wonder if I-I should have gone through with it that d-day. I-I sometimes wonder if m-my parents were r-right. M-maybe I am useless. A coward. W-why else w-would Ms. Myku have a-abandoned me…"

She started to cry. Fenris grabbed her hands and pulled them away from her crying face. He forced her to look at him.

"Kalea," he said firmly. "You are NOT useless. You are NOT a coward. Don't you EVER think like that. If you had taken your life, THEN you would've been a coward. It takes much more courage to move forward then it does to give up. And that's what you would've done. You would have been giving up. The Kalea I know is better than that. She perseveres. She's a fighter. She's one of the bravest people I know. I look up to her honestly. Sometimes I wish I could be as strong as her. She's the most honest, beautiful person I have ever met in my entire life," he finished.

Kalea's eyes widened.

"Yo-you said beautiful…" she muttered.

"Di-did I?" he said.

"Yeah…" she said.

She grasped his hands. He squeezed hers, wanting her to understand he was there for her.

"Fenris… thank you," she said. "For always being there for me… even when I ignore you. I didn't want to ever feel that way again so…I tried pushing everyone away from me. But you never gave up. You wouldn't ever leave me alone," she said. She laughed through her tears.

"I'm so sorry," she continued. "I should've been nicer. I should've accepted your kindness. I've never meant anything by it… I don't ever want to see you hurt. When I saw you come out of the Phantom building, bloodied to a pulp I-I realized…" She stopped.

Wondering what she was going to say, he waited for her to continue. When she didn't, he took her hands and placed them on his heart.

"I understand now…" he said hesitantly. "Why you didn't smile much during our childhood. All I've ever wanted is for you to smile. Not for anyone else, but for yourself. Show yourself your own smile. If you do that…I think you'll start to feel a little better," he said.

She hesitated, before giving him a weak smile.

"You're always doing that," she said. "Trying to lift me up…you're my best friend Fenris. I know I haven't acted like it a whole lot. But you really are. You are the one person in the guild I can count on most. You always come through for me. I'm sorry I didn't treat you the way you deserved."

Fenris shook his head. "Nah. I didn't mind. I like you just the way you are Kalea."

She perked up a little at that.

Her face, her eyes, her hair… he couldn't stop admiring them.

"Thank you though… really. For being my friend. I don't ever want to lose your friendship Fenris," she said.

They stayed like that for a while, hands clasped together. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Faelen jumped on top of them. He knocked the wind out of both of them and, once they caught it again, they started to laugh. And then they couldn't stop laughing. They laughed for such a long time, Fenris felt like he might never be able to stop. Eventually though, they stopped laughing and stood up.

"It's late. I'm sorry I've kept you here for so long," Kalea said.

"You didn't keep me. I wanted to be here," he said.

She smiled.

"I should get going," she said.

As she turned around, Fenris reached out and grabbed her hand. She turned back to him with a questioning look.

"Ma-maybe you should stay at my place tonight. I don't want you to be alone. I know Levy is out on a mission so she wouldn't be there tonight," he said.

He thought she would say no but she gave him a gentle smile and blushed.

"Sure."

When they got back to his apartment they got ready for bed. Fenris gave her his bed. He'd sleep on the couch he told her. She insisted no but he wouldn't budge. He made sure she was comfortable and then Faelen jumped up on the bed with her. She laughed and hugged him. Fenris smiled.

As she lay down, she looked up at Fenris. She blushed again.

"Fenris… thank you," she said.

He smiled at her. "You're welcome."

He turned off the light and went over to the couch. As he lay there, trying to go to sleep, his thoughts went back to Kalea.

_I can't believe anyone would treat her that way. It's just damn stupid. I wish I could go and beat the shit out of all of them._

He looked over to the bed. Kalea was asleep already.

_She's… really beautiful. I feel like I've been thinking that a lot lately. But… I can't help it. She really is. I don't want her to feel that way ever again either. I… care about her, _he realized.

_I care about her more than anything in this world. From now on, I'm going to protect her. No matter what the cost._

_._

_._

_._

That night was a stepping stone in their relationship. From that day onward, they were best friends. They did everything together. They went on missions together, ate together, she'd drag him out to go shopping together.

Occasionally, when Levy went on missions with Droy and Jet, she'd even spend the night at his apartment. Fenris always insisted she take his bed when she did come over, despite her constant protests. Fenris was the happiest he had been in a long time. Spending time with Kalea made life seem so much simpler. Mira also took note of the change… much to his displeasure.

And so did EVERY OTHER GIRL IN THE GUILD.

One day, he was taking a break from construction at the bar when Cana and Levy then sat down on either side of him. Mira strode over to them, watching him with an evil grin. He sweat dropped. _This can't be good. _

"So. You and Kalea seem to be getting along QUITE well recently," smirked Cana.

"Hm? Uh yeah I guess," said Fenris.

"Hmmmmm I wonder why that is huh?" she said. She elbowed him in the stomach, making him spit out his drink. All three laughed.

"I dunno it's not really that big a deal. We're not getting along THAT well," said Fenris.

"Oh ho I disagree. I think you two seem to be closer than EVER," said Mira.

"Might there be love in the air?" smirked Levy.

Fenris choked on his drink again. He smacked his chest, trying to clear his throat. When he finally did, he was breathing heavily.

"Whoa guys come on. That's pushing things a bit too far come one. There is no 'love' or anything like that between us. We're just friends I swear," said Fenris.

All three laughed again.

"Oh yee of little faith. You both will come around. In fact, let's make a bet on it. Girls, follow me. I have a calendar over here…" Cana said.

All three of them walked away, still laughing.

_Love… no… there's no way she _loves_me. I mean, I don't love her either I don't think… I care about her of course… but love?_

He looked over at Faelen, who was resting on the floor to his right. "Faelen… do I… love… Kalea?"

Faelen looked up at him. But he couldn't read him. It was like he was purposely trying to hide his mind from Fenris. He shook his head. The idea was just silly. He cared about Kalea. That was it. They were just friends.

"Hey Fenris!" came a voice from behind him.

He turned around and saw Kalea running up to him waving. He saw her face. He saw her chestnut hair and her hazel eyes. And her smile seemed so… genuine at that moment. She was beaming at him. He felt something pull on his heart. She was beautiful.

_Just… friends…_he thought, though not as strongly as before…

.

.

.

A few weeks later, the guild was finally finished. And it was grander than ever before. Everyone stood outside of it the morning it was completed, admiring their hard work.

The Master started crying.

"Awwwww Master what's wrong?" smiled Mira.

"I'm just so-so-WHAAAAA," he started crying even harder.

"Hehehe, I think Master is just happy all our hard work has paid off," said Mira.

There were so many changes to the guild now. There was the huge courtyard in the front. The main guild hall had been expanded. The upstairs was now free for everyone to go up and there was an entertainment room downstairs in the basement. There was even a pool!

A few weeks after Team Natsu left for their vacation, two new members joined the guild. Juvia from the Elemental Four and… Gajeel. When they joined, it stirred up a lot of excitement, not all of which was necessarily good. Although people had warmed to Juvia fairly quickly, Gajeel was a different story. People outright hated him.

One day though, Fenris decided to try something. Kalea was out on a mission with Levy. He had gotten some food at the bar and saw all the tables were taken. But one wasn't. Gajeel was sitting in a corner by himself.

He walked over to the table and sat down. Faelen hopped up onto the bench to sit next to him. He started eating without even looking at Gajeel. After a few moments he heard him clear his throat.

He looked up. "Need a drink?" he said, offering his water.

"No thanks," grunted Gajeel.

"Oh well more for me," said Fenris.

After a few more minutes Gajeel spoke again. "Why are ya sittin here man," Gajeel said.

"There was nowhere else to sit," said Fenris

Gajeel didn't respond to that. After another few minutes of silence Fenris asked, "So how you liking the guild so far?"

"You guys are loud as hell. And annoying," he said.

"Then why stay here? Nobody's making you. And if you didn't notice, nobody really likes you either," said Fenris

"Yeah, I noticed," said Gajeel.

More silence.

"So if you don't like me why you sittin here?" Gajeel asked.

"Never said I was one of those people," Fenris said.

He glanced up and saw Gajeel look surprised for a second before hiding his face behind that scowl again.

After Fenris was done eating he said, "Bet I can beat you in pool."

"I don't play that wimpy shit," said Gajeel.

"That's probably cause you suck at it," responded Fenris.

Gajeel's eyebrows twitched. He shot up and slammed his hands on the table.

"You're on man!" he shouted.

Feris smirked. Gajeel was a dragon slayer just like Natsu. He figured their personalities may be similar and if anything was able to get under Natsu's skin, it was insulting him.

After that day, he and Gajeel would play each other in pool whenever Fenris had free time, and Kalea wasn't there. Over time, others started talking to him too. Just small greetings at first. Then some people even started joining them in pool. Not everyone got used to him of course. But it was a start.

.

.

.

While Fenris spent his time recovering from his injuries, he lounged in the pool more often than he probably would have otherwise. And because of that damn pool, his strange feelings he started to develop towards Kalea got even stranger.

Fenris had always thought Kalea was attractive. He knew this before he had developed those weird feelings. And he knew every other guy in the guild also thought she was attractive. But one day, while Fenris was relaxing in the pool, something huge jumped into the pool, drenching him. Next thing he knew, Faelen's face was inches from him. Everyone around him laughed. Then he heard his name.

"Hey! Fenris!"

He looked up and saw Kalea. She was… in a bathing suit. He had never seen her in anything like this. And he couldn't deny it… she was hot. She was wearing a one piece, which he realized was probably to cover her wounds on her back but even then…

And he could tell every other guy in the pool was thinking the same thing. He looked around and saw that every male eye was locked onto her.

He heard someone shout, "Hey Kalea! Wanna swim over here?"

She looked over to whoever it was but Fenris couldn't see from where he lounging.

"No thanks," she said, smiling.

Fenris began laughing in his head.

Suddenly, she said, "Catch meeeee!"

She lunged at him, causing him to fall out of his tube. When he resurfaced, coughing up water, he saw Kalea laughing at him.

"I said CATCH not DROWN," she laughed.

She splashed him with water. He dodged it, causing Cana, who was right behind him, to get hit instead. Cana whirled around and shouted, "You wanna water fight Kalea?!"

No matter where they were, the members of Fairy Tail loved to fight. After an hour of laughing and splashing, they finally got out of the water. Fenris had to put in a lot of effort to keep his eyes off of her. It was a challenge.

"I'm gonna go change, wait for me!" she said, waving at him as she ran to the changing rooms.

His heart skipped a beat.

"Yeah. Okay," he said.

The following morning, Fenris and Kalea were eating lunch in the guild hall when Kalea put her fork down and gave Fenris a look.

"Something up?" he asked.

"When do you think Lucy and the others are going to be back?" Kalea asked.

She seemed to finally be warming up to Lucy.

"Hmmmm. I don't know. It's been a whole month. I didn't think those tickets lasted this lo-"

Before he could finish his sentence, the doors burst open and in walked Team Natsu.

"Whoaaa!" shouted Lucy.

Fenris laughed. "Nevermind. I guess right now."

Kalea happily yelled Lucy's name and jumped up, running to the group.

Fenris got up and followed them, Faelen right behind him.

"Wow! It's so pretty in here!" said Lucy.

She saw Kalea and Levy running up to her and screamed, meeting them halfway. The trio jumped up and down, laughing and talking about what happened since Lucy left.

As Fenris approached, Gray and Natsu noticed him.

"Looks like you guys made a lot of changes here," said Gray.

Natsu started to pout. "It's different."

Fenris crossed his arms, frowning at him. "Yeah it is. What's your problem?"

"It's different," he repeated.

As they looked around, Natsu seemed to be taking note of all the changes.

"Whoa! The waitresses have new uniforms!" said Gray.

"Quite cute. I am impressed," said Erza, walking up to them.

Lucy whirled around at the mention of uniforms. "I'll bet the Master designed them," she sighed.

"That's not all that's new around here," said Cana, who had come up without them noticing.

Levy grabbed Lucy's hands and ran her around. "Look Lucy! There's a pool in the back! And we've got a pool and game room downstairs! But the place that's changed the most is the second floor. Anyone can go up there now! Of course, you can't go on S-class missions without being an S-class Wizard, but otherwise…"

As Levy described all the changes, Natsu's frown deepened.

"Ah! The fools have returned! Welcome back!"

Everyone turned around and saw Master walking up to them, Juvia in tow.

"Say hello to our newest member, Juvia! Ain't she sweet?" he said, eyeing Juvia.

Gray smiled and waved at her. "Hey! So you really made it in huh?"

"Juvia, I heard you helped us in Akane. Thank you," said Erza.

"Hm? Oh. You know each other?" said the Master.

"Juvia got in thanks to all of you! Juvia will do her best for the guild!"

"Also…I have another new member to introduce to you all," said Master.

Stomp. Stomp. Stomp.

Gajeel lazily made his way to the group, chomping on some metal.

"Eh?!" said Lucy.

"H-hey, you gotta be kidding me!" stuttered Gray.

"Gajeel!" shouted Natsu.

Gray turned on Master. "Master! What's the meaning of this?!"

Juvia tried to calm everyone down. "Wait! Juvia was the one who recommended him to the guild!"

"Juvia, I can understand, but he's the very man who destroyed the guild in the first place!" said Erza.

"Humph" Gajeel said, crossing his arms.

"Hey, hey guys calm down" said Fenris. He walked up to Gajeel and put one arm around his shoulder.

"He ain't that bad," he said.

Gajeel growled and threw his arm off.

"Calm down! He was simply acting under Jose's orders. He had no choice." Said Master.

Levy still hadn't gotten used to Gajeel. Jet and Droy were understandably cold to him.

"Y-yeah…I don't mind in the least…" she said, although she noticeably moved away from Gajeel as he approached. Jet and Droy were staring daggers at him.

Natsu stomped up to him. "Don't make me laugh! What kind of jobs can this guy get?!"

Gajeel glared at him. "Relax. I'm not here to make friends. I'm here for the jobs. Any guild would have done. This guild makes me sick, so don't think I'll be working for its sake."

"What'd you say?!" bellowed Natsu.

Master sighed. "It's the job of veterans to take the youngsters who have lost their way and set them on the right path. He's a good guy at heart…or that's what I want to believe" he muttered.

"If that is Master's decision, then we must accept it. But I feel for the time being, we should keep an eye on him," said Erza.

Natsu scoffed. "There's something about this new guild that just doesn't sit right with me."

Cana, wanting to ease the tension, grabbed him and took him to a table. "Never mind that! Just take a seat! The main event is about to start!"

Fenris, Kalea, and Faelen joined them at a table to watch the performance. Since the guild finished, entertainment on the stage was a daily occurrence, from singing to stand-up comedy, people loved to get up there.

The lights went off as they sat down. Mira appeared on stage, guitar in hand and started her song. She was such an amazing singer. As she finished, everyone applauded and cheered her name.

Fenris was clapping his hands when Natsu shouted, "What was that for you creep?! You stepped on my foot on purpose!"

He and Gajeel glared at each other. A cup was thrown from somewhere across the room and hit Natsu in the face. "Shut up! Mira is still singing!" said a voice.

Natsu whirled around. "_Who threw that at me?!_" He started kicking cups within reach.

Gray jumped up. "Natsu you jerk! Quit the sudden violence!" As he shot up, he bumped into Erza, knocking her cake on the floor.

"Uh oh…" said Kalea.

Fenris watched Erza's face slowly change from shock to rage. "No more noise out of you!" she shouted, kicking Elfman who had just ran up shouted about being a man.

He was thrown back into Cana. Who threw a mug at Droy. And slowly but surely, everyone was brought into the fight. As Fenris watched on, Kalea sitting beside him, he saw Faelen chasing after Jet. He started to laugh. Kalea started to laugh beside him. He looked at her at the same time she looked at him.

"Just another day isn't it?" he said, getting up to crack his knuckles.

She smiled. "Yeah."

Right before he entered the fray, the Master started shouting.

"Why couldn't you brats hold back for one more day?! _We've got a reporter coming to see us tomorrow!_"

At the same time, Fenris and Kalea exclaimed, "A reporter?!"

.

.

.

The following day, there was an air of excitement as Fenris entered the guild. Ever since the Master had announced a reporter would be coming to interview them, everyone had been doing their best to get the guild hall ready. He saw Kalea cleaning up the bar with Levy and Cana and walked over to them.

"Is there anything I can do to get ready?" he asked.

Mira ran over, carrying a stack of plates. "Can you go help Gray pick up the tables from yesterday's fight?"

Before he could answer, she was already hurrying away.

He went to help Gray clean up the tables and chairs. He was putting the last chair back in place when the door the guild opened. He turned around and saw a blonde man with one strand of hair sticking up walk in. He had a large camera and a notebook. As he entered, he shouted one word.

"COOOOOOLLLLLL!"

_Oh boy… _Fenris thought.

Without missing a beat, the man started running around, asking questions and taking pictures. Fenris wasn't one to read Sorcerer Weekly but he knew it was popular with a lot of wizards his age. He went to get a drink from the bar, hoping he wouldn't need to talk too much, when Kalea joined him. She was watching the man interview Gray and Juvia.

"You hoping for an interview?" he asked her.

She jumped and jerked her head around. "Oh! Sorry Fenris. I didn't even realize you were there."

He sweat dropped. She was the one who walked up to him…

"No actually…I'm hoping he doesn't talk to me…" she said hesitantly.

"Why?" he asked.

"I don't know…I'm just nervous I guess," she said.

Before he could respond, they heard a familiar voice shout, "WHOA! It's Fenris and Kalea. SO COOOLLLLL! AND FAELEN THE WHITE WOLF!"

The reporter ran up to them, taking pictures of Faelen. Then, after a few more snapshots, he turned his attention back to them. He pulled out a notepad and pen.

"So. Is it true that the two of you have finally confessed your undying love and are now the hottest couple in the Magic world?" he asked. Fenris and Kalea both gaped at him.

Then, at the same time, they yelled, "WE ARE NOT A COUPLE!"

"WHOA!" he shouted. "So your still hiding your love under wraps from the rest of the world?! Are you preparing some sort of proclamation?! SOOOO COOOLLL!"

They both looked at each other. Fenris felt his cheeks flush at the same time he saw Kalea's cheeks turn red. They turned away quickly. Before they could respond, the reporter disappeared, off to interview Erza. That guy had the shortest attention span Fenris had ever seen. The rest of the day went by similar to this. The reporter would go up to someone, and they would either hit him or agree with him. By the end of the day, everyone was exhausted from fighting, drinking… and more fighting.

Fenris and Kalea were on their way back home when they noticed a magazine stand.

"No way… it's… ALREADY UP?!" shouted Fenris.

"Well it is a magazine about magic so it can't be that surprising," said Kalea.

He started flipping through the articles when he found his picture… right next to Kalea. And the caption… "New-found Love."

He froze. Kalea walked up to him and read it too. She froze.

At the same time, they both said, "I gotta go."

Fenris ran off to his apartment as Kalea turned around to hers.

He ran inside and locked the door. Then he slid down onto the floor. Looking at Faelen, he said, "Why does it seem like everyone thinks we should be together?" he asked.

In the back of his head, he heard a small voice say, _maybe it's because you _should _be together._

"But… I don't like her like that… I think…"

**Author's note:**

**Hope you enjoyed! Lots of development in their relationship this chapter and it only continues from here. The story will really start rolling soon. See you next time!**


	22. Chapter 15

**Author's note:**

**Hello once again! This chapter we begin the Battle of Fairy Tail arc. Overall, this arc goes pretty much how the manga goes except for the final battle. Hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. That privilege belongs to Hiro Mashima**

Fenris awoke that morning in a state of anticipation. One week from today it would be the Magnolia Harvest Festival. This was always an enjoyable time of the year. The guild held a huge party for everyone in Magnolia and there was even a parade that all the members participated in.

Fenris always loved going to the parade as a kid and, when he got older, he even got to participate. He, Kalea, and Faelen usually created their own float each year. Each one was different from the last and, that morning, he was supposed to be meeting up with Kalea to decide what float they'd be doing.

But as he got dressed, he was falling short on ideas. Normally by now, he had something in mind but he just couldn't. Think. Of. Anything.

The entire walk to the guild was spent in silence, Fenris using every possible brain cell he could to think of something. When he arrived at the guild hall, he got some breakfast from the bar and sat down with Faelen, continuing his thought process.

As he sat there contemplating on float ideas, he felt something poke his back. He looked up and saw Kalea. She had a strange look in her eyes as she watched him warily.

"Something wrong?" he asked her.

She hesitated before saying, "I'm low on rent again this month. Levy has her half and offered to help me with mine but I can't do that. It's not fair."

"Oh. I'm sorry. If you aren't accepting anything from her I assume it'd be pointless for me to offer?" he said.

"Yes it would be. I need to be able to do things on my own Fenris," she said before adding, "but thank you."

He smiled at her and indicated the seat next to him. She sat down and started eating. Finally distracted from the float, he thought of some way he could help her out. As he thought, Mira passed by them and handed them a flyer that described the events going on during the Magnolia Harvest Festival. Fenris lazily scanned the paper, still thinking of a way to help Kalea, when he spotted something.

_Miss Fairy Tail Contest… first prize is… 500,000 JEWEL!_

He gaped at the flyer. _500,000 Jewel_… he thought. That'd be more than enough to cover her rent for a while. But…the Miss Fairy Tail Contest isn't something he saw Kalea as wanting to do. It was too much exposure. She didn't like being the center of attention. But that money was no joking matter so maybe it was worth a shot.

"Kalea…look at this," he said, handing her the flyer.

She took it and started to read. As she read the paragraph indicating the prize, her eyes widened and her cheeks reddened.

"I-uh…" she stuttered.

"I know you aren't really into this kind of stuff but that prize money may be worth it," Fenris said reassuringly.

"Fenris…I can't do this. That money would be great but I just…can't do that. I'm not good at that kind of stuff. I'd have to dress up and wear a bathing suit and I…just can't," Kalea said.

"I know it's a lot…but I honestly think you'd have a shot Kalea," he said. "Your magic is so unique. That's a big part of the competition. And I know you'd have to dress up and stuff but…you probably wouldn't look that bad in a nice dress," Fenris finished awkwardly.

Kalea's face deepened to an even darker shade of red. "I-I-d-do you mean that?" she asked.

He looked away from her and said, "I mean yeah. I'm just saying I think you'd have a shot at winning. The prize money would set you up for a few months of rent and it seems like a good opportunity. You don't have to obviously but I just saw this a-"

"Okay," Kalea said.

"Hm? Okay what?" he said.

"Okay. I'll do it," Kalea said, not looking him in the eye.

"Really?" he asked, slightly surprised.

"If…you think I can do it. I'll do it," she said.

"Oh. Well…I mean yeah! You can definitely do it," Fenris said.

She gave him an awkward smile and got up. "A-alright. Well I guess I should go get ready for that then. I'll need to find some things to wear. Do you mind thinking up something for the float? I'm gonna need all the time I can for this contest now."

"Yeah don't worry! I got it," Fenris said.

Kalea nodded and said goodbye, leaving him with Faelen.

"Back to square one I guess," Fenris said to Faelen. Faelen ignored him, chewing on a bone Mira had thrown to him earlier.

.

.

.

The days leading up to the Festival went by in a blur. Everyone was busy frantically getting ready. Preparing the guild hall, making food, sending out invitations to everyone in Magnolia. Fenris only saw Kalea in brief glimpses during the week as she was busy getting ready for the contest.

On the day of the Festival, the town was packed as Fenris made his way to the guild. The first event of the day was the Miss Fairy Tail Contest and he wanted to support Kalea. It had been his idea in the first place and he knew she wouldn't feel very comfortable during most of it.

On his way over to the guild he saw Kalea slowly walking ahead of him. He shouted out her name, causing her to stop.

When he caught up to her she was staring at the ground. "What is it Fenris? I'm running late for the contest," she said.

"Uh-I-I just wanted to say good luck. I'll be rooting for you," he smiled at her.

She looked up at him, slightly taken aback.

"You-you're going?" she asked.

"Of course! I'm gonna be rooting for you," said Fenris.

Her eyes widened. After a few moments she said, almost too quietly for him to hear, "O-oh. T-thank you."

He smiled at her again and, a second later, she smiled back. Then looked away quickly. She saw the time on the large clocktower and said, "Oh no! I gotta get going I'm late enough as it is!" She quickly said goodbye and she ran off in the direction of the guild. Fenris looked after her, smiling again. Then he made his way to the guild after her.

On his way, he admired the ever growing crowd around town. There were so many people! People from all over Fiore came to the Festival. It was one of the biggest spectacles in any town and Fenris was proud that his guild was able to hold such an event. It got more and more popular as the years went by.

Faelen was also a pretty popular character around this time of the year. Children were constantly running up to him and trying to pet him and jump on him. And, Fenris always admired, Faelen loved the attention. He would run around and play with anyone who came up to him.

In fact, at this very moment, a little girl was riding on his back, laughing and pointing at all the different tents with food and games. Fenris smiled down at the girl, admiring how carefree she was.

Because of the growing crowd, it took him longer than usual but he eventually arrived at the guild around mid-morning. He heard loud noises inside and realized he was late. He just hoped he hadn't missed Kalea's introduction yet.

The moment he threw open the doors, his ears were bombarded with noise. People were cheering and whistling and it seemed like half of Magnolia was packed into the guild hall. Up on stage, he saw Mira waving to the crowd.

_No wonder everyone is cheering so loudly… Mira's always been pretty damn popular._

He also saw Max a few feet away from her.

_I guess he's announcing the contest. Makes sense he's always been a pretty good people-person._

"-can make all the men on Earth drunk, Mirajane!" Max was shouting.

Fenris heard all the guys in the crowd wolf-whistle and say things like, "The favorite!" and "She's cute!"

As he walked up closer to the stage he heard Mira say, "I'm very skilled in transformation magic! Next, I'll perform… Face Transformation Magic!"

She proceeded to transform into Happy and then Gajeel. The entire audience sweat dropped. Fenris started cracking up.

"Now for our fourth contestant! The strongest woman in Fairy Tail, Erza Scarlet!" shouted Max, distracting everyone from the Mira fiasco.

As Erza walked up on stage, everyone started cheering even louder. Erza said, "I'll let you witness… the ex-quip that I preserve…"

She equipped an outfit he had never seen before. A school girl outfit.

Everyone broke out in the biggest cheer yet. Fenris felt his face heat up for a second then looked away. _That… was awkward, _he thought.

Fenris finally reached the front of the stage by the time Levy and Bisca had taken their turns. Then he heard Max say, "Only two more contestants ladies and gentlemen! Up first! The bashful yet strong-willing, lovely young lady who's magic really steals the show! Kalea Baak!"

The entire crowd cheered. Even Fenris clapped his hands this time until he saw Kalea. He froze in place. She was wearing the most stunning dress he had ever seen. It was a dark pink color and had a huge skirt with multiple layers ending in white frills. She wore her hair down and had two golden bracelets on her wrists. She looked absolutely amazing.

_She looks… so… beautiful… _he thought.

The crowd cheered so loud, one of his eardrums popped. He flinched but it didn't bother him. He was entranced by her appearance. He couldn't take his eyes off her. She was waving to the crowd and then their eyes met. Her hand froze in mid-air and it seemed as if time stopped. The two of them in their own little world.

They looked at each other. Then Kalea blushed. Her face was as red as a tomato. Fenris had never seen her blush as deeply as that moment. And he thought it made her look even more amazing. Their brief moment was interrupted by the loud cheers from the crowd. Time resumed, and she was back to waving at the crowd. Her face also resumed its normal coloration.

Then she combined Natsu's fire magic and Gray's ice magic to create the words Fairy Tail directly above her. The crowd cheered even louder. Still waving, Kalea began walking off stage. Right before she disappeared behind the curtain, she caught his eye again. She quickly looked away and hurried off stage.

Fenris seemed to have dazed off thinking about her outfit because next thing he knew Lucy was on stage colliding with Max. He didn't understand why she had run into him and before he could figure it out, someone behind the two said, "Number eight."

"Wait, I haven't even started yet…" said Lucy.

"If you talk about Fairy, then it's me. If you talk about beauty, then it's me. That's right, it's all ME," came a voice Fenris recognized.

Evergreen.

She walked out on stage, looking as pompous as ever. "The champion will definitely be me, Evergreen! It's boring, so we'll end the beauty contest here!" she shouted.

Fenris tensed up. He noticed Gray and Elfman next to him do the same. _What the hell is she doing here?! They hardly ever show up to the guild…_he thought.

"Quit playing around! This beauty contest concerns my living," he heard Lucy shout at Evergreen.

He saw Evergreen begin to lift up her glasses and reacted. Just as Gray shouted for Lucy to not look into her eyes he jumped onto the stage. But before he could reach her, Lucy was turned to stone. Suddenly, the room was in a panic.

Max began shouting for everyone to run and it was a nightmare. Bodies collided everywhere, people were screaming and panicking. Fenris turned on Evergreen, saying, "EVERGREEN! What the hell do you think you're doing?! Turn Lucy back NOW!"

She smirked at him. "Oh, but what about the others?"

Then the curtain disappeared. And behind it… every contestant of the Miss Fairy Tail contest had been turned to stone. Fenris looked at all of the girls as his mouth fell open. Then he saw Kalea. She too had been turned to stone. He stared at her, seeing the look of shock on her petrified face. Then, he began to get angry. His body began shaking and he lunged at Evergreen.

Before he reached her there was a loud explosion and the ground started to shake. A lightning strike shot through the roof of the guild, right in front of Fenris. When the smoke cleared from the strike, Laxus stood in front of him. He smirked down at Fenris. Then he turned to the crowd, where the Fairy Tail members stood.

"Hey! Fairy Tail idiots… the REAL festival begins now!" he shouted. Behind him, seemingly out of nowhere, Freed and Bickslow appeared.

_Damn. When the hell did they get here?_Fenris thought.

"Why don't we play a game old geezer?" he said to Master Makarov.

"Don't do something stupid Laxus. We have to get ready for Fantasia. Turn them back to normal now!" Master shouted.

"Fantasia is late at night. If we hurry, people might get to see it," Laxus said with an evil grin.

Suddenly, another shot of lightning came down from the roof and landed only inches away from where Lucy stood. Laxus appeared behind her.

"I'll take these girls as hostages. I'll destroy them one by one if you break the rules. Like I said, this is the main show," he said.

"There are things that can't be taken as a joke, Laxus!" yelled the Master.

"Of course I'm _serious._It's a game. To find out who is the strongest here in Fairy Tail. The rules are simple. The last survivor wins! Fairy Tail fight starts NOW!" he yelled.

Suddenly a table shot up into the air behind everyone. Fenris turned around and saw Natsu standing up with his arm raised.

"Isn't this great?! This is way too easy to understand! I'm pumped!" he exclaimed.

"Natsu. Your arrogant way of talking… really pisses me off," said Laxus. Fenris sweat dropped.

"Let's start!" yelled Natsu. He sprinted at Laxus.

"Natsu, wait you've never been able to beat Laxus!" shouted Fenris.

"That was when I was a little kid!" he laughed.

"That was just last year…" Fenris muttered.

When he was mere feet away, Laxus said, "But… your lack of attitude pisses me off more."

And then he struck. A huge bolt of lightning came down and hit Natsu head on.

"Natsu!" came everyone's yells. But he was out like a rock.

Fenris heard Evergreen's voice. "If you want to return them to normal, you'll have to defeat us."

"We only have 4 people on our side. You have almost 100 people. It's not fair for us," said Bickslow

"The time limit is 3 hours. If you can't defeat us, they will turn into sand," said Evergreen.

"What?!" came multiple voices from the crowd. Fenris was even more angry now.

_Turn to dust?! Why the hell are they even doing this?!_

"The battlefield is the entire Magnolia town. The battle starts when you find us," said Laxus.

Suddenly the Master transformed into his giant form. "DON'T MESS AROUND!" he screamed.

"I say calm down… let's enjoy the main show," said Laxus and raised his finger. Then a bright light appeared in the room and Fenris couldn't see for a few seconds.

He heard Laxus shout, "Let the battle of Fairy Tail BEGIN!"

The light vanished. And they were gone. Suddenly the guild hall erupted in shouts and yells.

"Playing hide and seek-"

Those unforgivable bast-"

Everyone started running out of the hall. Fenris didn't move. He was staring at Kalea's statue. _I'll rescue you Kalea… I promise…_

Then he followed everyone else out of the hall. "Faelen, I need you to stay here and watch over Ka-I mean the girls. Just in case something happens," he told Faelen as he ran.

Faelen barked in reply and ran over to where Kalea's statue was and sat right in front of her. _Good boy… _Fenris thought.

He began running through the streets of Magnolia, trying to figure out where the members of the Thunder Tribe were. If he could just find Evergreen, he could get her to turn the girls back to normal.

As he continued running through the street he came upon Wan and Joey. Although he had never really talked to them much, they still got along well enough. They ran up beside him and Joey said, "Fenris! Don't worry man we'll get the girls back to normal! If we team up I'm sure we can take down the Thunder Tribe!"

Fenris was about to respond when he ran straight into a wall. Or what felt like a wall. He couldn't see anything in front of him but it felt like he had run straight into an immovable object. Behind him, Wan and Joey also stopped running.

He placed his hand in front of him and felt the wall. It was definitely there. He just couldn't figure out what it was. "What the hell?" he heard Joey say behind him.

"I don't know what's going on but it probably has to do with the Thunder Tribe," said Fenris.

"Yeah you're probably right. I-" began Joey but was cut off.

"I see you've been trapped within my barriers," came a voice from above them.

Fenris looked up and saw Freed.

"Damn!" he shouted. He had forgotten about Freed's magic. He could create magical barriers with his script magic.

Suddenly words appeared over the trio's head. _Only the strongest may exit the barrier_, it read.

"What the heck does that mean?" asked Joey.

"Exactly what it sounds like. Only the strongest of you three may exit my barrier and continue on. How you decide that is between the three of you. However, I believe there is only one way to make the decision," said Freed. And with that, he disappeared.

Fenris looked at both Wan and Joey. It took him a few seconds to register what Freed had said. Then it sunk in. _I have to defeat them in battle if I want to get out. _

He didn't want to fight his own comrades. This was crazy. How could Freed do this to them all? He had never been the friendliest of guild members but he wasn't insane. _But if I don't get out… I can't save Kalea…_

He made his decision.

"Fenris… we can figure this out man. I don't think we need to fight each other," said Joey. He had figured it out too.

"How? If you can come up with a better decision be my guest. But we have less then 3 hours now! How are we going to save Kale-I mean the girls if we just sit here in this barrier?!" shouted Fenris.

"I-I don't know yet! Let me think!" responded Joey.

"Joey… I'm sorry but this is the only way. We HAVE to save the girls. Otherwise they may actually be killed," said Fenris. And he attacked.

Joey hadn't been expecting this and reacted too slowly. Fenris punched him right in the neck, where he knew his pressure point was. He didn't hit too hard though. He hit him with just enough force to knock him out completely. He wouldn't be getting up for a while.

Before Fenris had time to feel bad about it, Wan attacked him. Wan had never been the most talkative person in the guild. But Fenris knew his magic well. Irondog magic. It was almost the same as Gajeel's, but he could only transform his arms into iron. And they could only transform into dogs.

But iron still hurt.

Fenris took a blow to the side from his Irondog and the wind was knocked out of him. He staggered backwards and managed to narrowly dodge another blow. He jumped to the side and attempted to punch Wan. He moved, way quicker then Fenris was expecting, and punched him again. This time in the side of the head. Fenris' vision flickered for a second. _This is bad I didn't realize how strong Wan was_, he thought.

He had to end it quickly or Wan would beat him. He used his "grip" move. He hadn't practiced this very often though and it drained a lot of his magic power because of this. But it got the job done. Wan was held by an invisible force and couldn't move. He had a panicked look in his eyes when Fenris walked up to him.

"Sorry Wan. I won't lie, this is gonna hurt. But it won't kill you," he said.

He punched him just as he had Joey. Wan was out. And the barrier faded around them. Fenris looked down at his two comrades. His guilt rushed forward, making him angry. Angry at Laxus. At the Thunder Tribe for forcing him to do this. And for keeping Kalea trapped.

He started running down the street again. Luckily, no civilians had come upon their fight. That would have probably caused an even bigger scene.

He continued running for what felt like forever, but he wasn't getting anywhere. He had no idea where the heck everyone was. He couldn't find a single member of the Thunder Tribe. And he couldn't find a single member of Fairy Tail either. His use of his "grip" attack forced him to rely on his usual senses and he couldn't enhance any physical abilities.

He checked the time, an hour had already elapsed. He only had two hours left before the girls were turned to ash. After his fight with Wan and Joey, he began hearing fights throughout all of Magnolia. Fairy Tail members were taking each other out.

As he ran, he turned a corner and ran head first into Mikuni. They both crashed to the ground, dazed. When Fenris got a bearing on himself, he looked over at Mikuni. He was staring back at Fenris. Then, a huge barrier formed over the entire block. They were trapped.

_Shit… _thought Fenris.

At the same time he thought that, Mikuni jumped up and ran backwards. He turned around and took a fighting stance.

"I'm sorry Fenris. I'll have to defeat you here and now," he said.

Fenris jumped up and got ready. Mikuni was a caster wielder of Earth Magic. This wouldn't be easy. The ground began shaking underneath him and then a huge chasm formed underneath him. Fenris jumped to the side before he was swallowed up, which seemed to be what Mikuni was hoping for. For he appeared right beside Fenris and punched him so hard that he flew back and hit the barrier.

Fenris jumped up and prepared for another attack. Mikuni was rushing at him when he used his "push" move. He repelled Mikuni back towards the other end of the block. He used his "malacia" move and threw off Mikuni's sense of balance. He staggered around for a few moments, allowing Fenris to rush him.

But just as he was about to deliver the final blow, Mikuni surprised him and threw a punch right to his gut. The force of the blow was staggering, throwing Fenris onto his back. He tried getting back up but couldn't even catch his breath.

He held his stomach, looking up at Mikuni who was walking up to him, smirking. He lifted his hand and was about to strike Fenris when he used a new spell he had been working on. Force Slow.

He discovered this spell after the Phantom fight. He realized he hadn't actually slowed down time during his fight with Aria. He had manipulated the energy around Aria, clouding his mind, which caused him to slow down both physically and mentally. He still had a hard time controlling the ability because he realized the spell depended strongly on the intelligence and physical attributes of his foe. With this, he was able to get up and rush behind Mikuni. To Mikuni, it seemed as though Fenris had teleported behind him, he was that fast.

"Sorry Mikuni."

He struck his neck just as before and Mikuni was down. Fenris cut off the flow of magic before it got too dangerous. His fight with Mikuni had lasted longer than he had hoped. Taking a deep breath, Fenris started running again, hoping he would get to Laxus in time to save everyone.

**Author's note:**

**Next time we continue to battle our way to Laxus. See you then!**


	23. Chapter 16

**Author's note:**

**Hello hello! Today we finish with the Battle of Fairy Tail. Hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. That privilege belongs to Hiro Mashima**

As Fenris continued running, hoping he could figure out a way to end this quickly, a bright light flashed high above the town. It blinded him for a second but was gone before he even blinked. He looked up and saw floating orbs all around the town. There had to be almost one hundred of them. He didn't understand what they were though, thinking it had to be another trick from Laxus and decided to continue on. There was nothing he could do about them right now, and the more important thing was to find Laxus and beat him.

Suddenly, a huge explosion came from the street over. He quickly turned around and ran over to the next street. Smoke was coming from the street but nobody seemed to be there. Then he heard a voice from above.

"-take her out!" someone shouted.

He looked up and saw Bickslow standing on top of the roof. And across from him… was Lucy!

_How the hell is Lucy here?! _he thought.

Just as he was about to go to her aid, a sudden explosion blinded him for a moment. When he was able to see again, he looked up and saw Lucy take out a golden key and call upon one of her spirits. He couldn't hear which one, but then a man in a horse suit appeared out of nowhere.

_Who is that…_

"Sagittarius! Take down those flying things, all right?" shouted Lucy.

"Hello, hello! Orders received and understood!" said Sagittarius.

_Why is he talking like that…_

Then Fenris saw Sagittarius bring out a bow and shoot down each one of Bickslow's dolls in a matter of seconds. Just when Fenris thought Lucy had won, there was another explosion right where Sagittarius was standing and he faded back to the Spirit Realm.

"No…!" said Lucy.

"You can destroy all my dolls you like, but it won't stop the souls within them that I control!" said Bickslow.

Suddenly, Bickslow's dolls began to bombard Lucy and then stole her keys. Fenris knew he needed to help so he began scaling the wall of the building they were on top of. Right before his dolls used their Baryon Formation, Fenris got to Lucy. He grabbed her and they both were thrown down by the attack's explosion.

"What the hell…" he heard Bickslow say.

Lucy looked up at him and he could see the relief wash over her. "Fenris… thanks so much. I would've been a goner without you," she said.

"It's no problem Lucy don't worry about it. This whole thing is ridiculous in the first place. We've all been forced to fight each other because of Laxus' dumb games and I'm tired of seeing people get hurt. Let's finish Bickslow together. I think we can both take him if we work together," said Fenris.

"You're right let's do it!" shouted Lucy.

They both got up and turned to face Bickslow.

Fenris opened his mind to his magic as Lucy held out one of her keys. Before she could even say anything, it began to glow and a bright light blinded them for a second. When the light faded, Loki was standing there in his spirit form. He glanced over at Fenris and they both acknowledged each other with a nod, turning back to Bickslow

"Looks like it's time to fulfill my promise," said Loki.

"I had a feeling you were a spirit Loki. And even after I kept your little secret you're gonna try to fight me? That's cold man," said Bickslow.

"How could he know?" Lucy asked.

"He can sense spirits so it's not all that surprising," said Loki.

"So, you wanna join the battle of Fairy Tail?" asked Bickslow.

"I don't really care about this whole battle. But if you try to hurt my master, that is one thing I cannot forgive," said Loki.

"HAHAHAHA you guys don't stand a chance! Neither of you has ever been close to beating me! Even so, let's try to have some fun babies!" said Bickslow.

"Lucy, I don't want you to get involved in this, Fenris and I can take care of him," said Loki.

"Bu-" began Lucy. But she was cut off by Bickslow's doll attack.

The dolls began blasting them with energy and Fenris and Loki had to constantly dodge. The dolls themselves weren't all that powerful. They were easily destroyed but no matter how many Fenris and Loki hit, more just kept coming.

"Hahahaha you can destroy as many dolls as you want but you can't destroy their souls!" shouted Bickslow.

"He's right. This isn't getting us anywhere so…" said Fenris.

He channeled his magic to his feet, and pushed off the ground. His magic propelled him upwards and straight for Bickslow.

"Shi-" began Bickslow before Fenris punched him in the face.

Fenris landed on the other roof and got into a fighting position.

"I'm a lot better now Bickslow. I think I can take you," he smirked.

"Ugh, damn it all! I guess there's nothing else for it…" and he took off his mask.

Fenris immediately shut his eyes. He knew what would happen if he looked into those eyes. He'd end up as one of his dolls. And that would suck.

"Closing your eyes huh?" he heard Bickslow say.

A sudden explosion blew Fenris back to the other roof where Lucy and Loki were. They were then bombarded by the dolls' relentless attacks. Fenris couldn't do anything for the next few minutes because he had to shut his eyes the entire time.

"Loki this isn't working! We can't do anything if we can't even see him!" he shouted at Loki over the attacks.

"I have a plan that will work! Maybe! If it doesn't we may end up as his dolls though!" Loki shouted back.

Fenris hesitated. He really didn't want to end up as a doll. But things were headed south and fast. "Alright. What do we need to do?!" he shouted.

"On the count of three both of you are going to open your eyes and go for Bickslow. An all-out attack with everything you got! This will be our only chance so you need to put _everything_into this attack got it?!" Loki shouted.

"Got it! If this doesn't work I'm gonna kill you Loki!" said Fenris.

"One!"

Fenris got ready.

"Two!"

He began channeling his magic into his feet and hands. Ready to deliver the blow. He saw Lucy prepare to jump.

"THREE!"

Fenris opened his eyes. There was a bright light shining behind him, and he could see it was blinding Bickslow. Because of his position, Fenris was still able to see however. He launched himself up towards Bickslow on the other roof and felt the magic power in his fist before he shouted, "FORCE IMPACT!"

At the same time beside him, Lucy shouted, "Lucy kick!"

The force of his punch to Bickslow's stomach and Lucy's kick sent him flying across the roof to the building next to it. The light faded, and Fenris turned around to see the dolls laying across the roof below. He saw Loki standing there smiling up at him.

"I told ya it would work!" Loki shouted.

"You said maybe…" Fenris said back.

"Nah no idea what you're talking about," Loke responded.

Fenris rolled his eyes and walked to the edge of the roof. On the other building, Bixlow was out cold. They finally beat him. Fenris walked back to the other side and jumped down to where Loki was.

Lucy ran up to him and hugged him. "Fenris that was amazing! Thank you so much if it wasn't for you and Loki I wouldn't even have survived that!" she said.

He smiled down at her.

"We all need to look out for each other. I'm just glad I got here in time before you were seriously hurt," he said. Then he remembered something. Lucy had been frozen as a statue. If she was here, that must mean…

"Umm… Lucy? Were you the only one unfrozen? Or did everyone else get out too?" he asked, trying not to make it obvious what he was trying to get at.

Lucy backed away from him and gave him a mischievous smile.

"Yes. Kalea is safe too," she said.

"Wha-wha-I-I said everyone! I wasn't just talking about Kalea jeez!" he stuttered.

"Sureeeeeeeeeee Fen whatever you say," Lucy said, continuing to smirk at him.

"We-well, since you mentioned her, do you know where she is?" he asked.

"She and Faelen were running with me until we split up a while ago. Master told us the situation and we all wanted to help. She's probably somewhere in town trying to find Laxus just like the rest of us," said Lucy.

_At least Faelen is with her_, thought Fenris.

Before he could respond to Lucy, there was a huge explosion near the center of town. Right where the cathedral was. All three swung their heads towards the building.

"I have a feeling that wasn't a normal explosion," said Loki.

"No, I have a feeling you're right," said Fenris.

"I don't think I have the power right now to face Laxus. That fight took a lot out of me and I'm still recovering from my time in Earthland. I think I need to leave this up to you Fenris," said Loki.

"Don't worry. I'm sure Natsu is there now if Laxus is. There's no way he'd miss out if everyone was able to escape the guild," said Fenris.

And with that Loki disappeared into the Spirit Realm.

"Lucy… I need a favor. Can you go find Kalea? I just want to be sure she's safe," he asked her.

Lucy smiled up at him. "You know, the first thing she said when we were all unfrozen was 'Where's Fenris?' You two… never mind," she said. Before he could respond, she ran up the street and out of sight.

He blinked after her. _What was that about_, he thought.

Another explosion came from the cathedral. He shook his head and focused. He began running up the street to the cathedral. As he was running, he sensed someone coming up behind him.

"HEY YOU," came a gruff voice he knew.

He kept running as he said, "What is it Gajeel?"

Gajeel ran up beside him and said, "You going to the cathedral too?"

"Yeah, Laxus is definitely there and I have a feeling Natsu is too," said Fenris.

"Gah that idiot. I knew he'd try to keep all the fighting for himself," said Gajeel.

Fenris rolled his eyes. He enjoyed fighting but he didn't have the weird obsession with it like Natsu and Gajeel. Maybe it was a dragonslayer thing.

"Look if we're going to fight Laxus we need to come up with some kind of plan," Fenris said. "Laxus is probably one of the strongest guys in the guild so-" Gajeel cut him off.

"Gehehe who needs a plan?!" he shouted with glee before sprinting off towards the cathedral.

"Wait!" shouted Fenris. He turned a corner and found himself in front of the cathedral. Gajeel was running inside and Fenris ran after him. When he got inside he stopped, surprised at what he saw. Gajeel was holding Natsu by his shirt and he looked like crap. Fenris could tell Laxus had given him a beating.

Laxus was standing at the far end of the hall and he looked… angry. Really angry.

"-taking out this guy is my job," he heard Gajeel say.

Fenris ran up beside him as he threw Natsu to the floor.

"_Oh look! Some new victims!_" shouted Laxus. He sounded insane.

"_Vanish! Disappear! All who stand before me shall be reduced to nothing!_!" he shouted some more.

"We need to figure this out together," Fenris said as he walked up next to Gajeel.

"N-no…I'll h-handle Laxus…" said Natsu.

"No Natsu. We handle this together. Laxus is too strong for us one on one," said Fenris.

"He's right," said Gajeel. Natsu gaped.

"Screw that! I can take him on myse-" began Natsu.

"Natsu, SHUT UP!" yelled Fenris.

Natsu shut up at once. He looked befuddled.

"This isn't the Laxus we know Natsu. Look at him," said Fenris.

Natsu looked over at Laxus. He had the aura of someone who didn't even know what was going on. He was blinded by his own power.

"Fine… this is a one-time thing though got it? I ain't teaming up with _him _ever again after this," said Natsu, jerking his thumb towards Gajeel.

"Yeah like I wanna team up with a weakling like you," responded Gajeel.

"What was that?!" shouted Natsu.

Before they started arguing, Fenris grabbed both their heads and slammed them together.

"Shut up and let's do this!" he said and ran at Laxus.

He heard them follow him just as he got to Laxus. They both punched at the same time and their fists collided. The force of their blows made them fly back as Natsu and Gajeel rushed at Laxus. They began exchanging blows, giving Fenris a brief moment to think.

He decided to try out a move he had tried in the Phantom guild hall. Mind trick. With this, he could temporally change a person into thinking whatever he chose. He'd attempt to make Laxus think he was running at him from his right, when in reality he wouldn't attack him at all.

He focused his mind on his magic. Then he focused on Laxus. After a few moments, Laxus shouted, "Oh no you don't!" He saw him swing a punch to his right, at nothing. Natsu and Gajeel took advantage and hit him hard with their magic. Laxus flew across the room and smashed into a wall, creating a cloud of dust. When the dust cleared he was standing, and it didn't look like he had a scratch on him.

"Shit! I thought we hit him hard there," said Gajeel.

_Seriously how powerful is he damn it_, thought Fenris.

Laxus lunged at Gajeel and Natsu but just as he was about to strike he disappeared. A moment later he appeared right in front of Fenris and punched him in the face. Fenris flew back and slammed into a wall. Black dots swam in his vision and his head was killing him. Luckily, Natsu had intervened before Laxus could hit him again. He slowly got up and staggered forward.

_This isn't going over well, _he thought.

He used his Malacia spell to throw off Laxus' balance but he was so dazed it didn't work. He saw Gajeel and Natsu combine their breath attacks and hit Laxus head on.

_Maybe they did it…_

But no. He wasn't even fazed. He had an evil smile on his face as he casually rolled his shoulders.

"Both of you combined and that's all you can do?" he said, that smile still plastered on his face. "You should be ashamed to call yourself dragon slayers."

"Impossible!" said Gajeel. "I don't care how strong that guy is. Nobody can take that much dragon slayer magic! It ain't possible!"

"It's simple," said Laxus. Fenris watched as his teeth began changing. "I hate the old man's lectures, so I kept it a secret all this time, but..." Fangs began protruding from his mouth. "Just this once I'll show you." Fenris watched in horror as scales formed on his body.

"No way…" said Natsu.

"Lightning!" screamed Laxus.

"Get down!" said Fenris.

"Dragon's!" said Laxus.

"Laxus don't!" shouted Natsu.

"-ROARRRRRR!"

Before Fenris could even blink, the attack was upon them. Moments before it collided with them, Gajeel jumped in the way and took the full blast. Natsu and Fenris both shouted for him to get out of the way but it was too late. They ran up to him and rolled him over. He was out and wasn't getting back up any time soon.

"Damn! He's a dragon slayer too?!" said Natsu.

"This is bad. He's way more powerful than I thought," said Fenris.

Suddenly Laxus was on them. He threw an uppercut at them both at the same time and they flew up towards the ceiling and out on to the roof. Fenris landed hard on his side and the air was knocked out of him. As he lay gasping, trying to get his breath back, Laxus flew out of the hole they had made.

"You idiots will be the first in my mission to _cleanse_the guild!" he screamed.

Fenris slowly got up and saw Natsu doing the same. He had to use Force Body or he would never regain his stamina. He knew the spell had costs if he used it too much but he had to take the risk.

This was a spell he discovered during one of his meditations. It allowed him to push his body's endurance past a safe limit. It ignored his health and well-being, and poured magical energy out of him that shouldn't even have been there in the first place. It was dangerous.

He activated the spell and felt his magic power increase immediately. Then it began increasing past its normal limit. He knew increasing it to a certain point would cause his body to go into shock. Or worse. He had to finish this fight quickly before that.

Without waiting for Natsu, he pushed one foot into the roof, crushing it beneath his feet, and lunged at Laxus. His new speed meant Laxus wasn't expecting him and he swung his fist at Laxus' face. His fist collided with Laxus, who was thrown backwards. Natsu ran past him and began his own attack. The trio exchanged blow after blow. It seemed to Fenris this lasted for hours but in reality it could only have been a few minutes.

He began to feel his power decrease already. He had used so much of it trying to take Laxus out but it didn't seem to be working. Laxus was tired yes, but he didn't look like he'd be giving up any time soon. The trio broke up suddenly, both parties catching their breath. Fenris had one last idea. It would use up the rest of his magic though. So, if it didn't work, he'd be done for.

"Natsu, I'm going to use Force Grip. But I'll have to put literally all of my power into it. I won't be any use after it's done. When I use it, it'll hopefully immobilize Laxus enough that you'll be able to finish him off. But it needs to be with one hit. I can only do this once. Do you think you can get him?" said Fenris.

Natsu cracked his knuckles and smirked. "I'm all fired up now!" he responded.

Fenris smiled. "Let's do it then."

He closed his eyes and got ready for the spell.

"You really think I'll le-" began Laxus but was cut off.

Fenris unleashed his spell and bound him in place. He poured all of his power into the spell. Even so, Laxus was still able to struggle and move around trying to get free.

"NATSU NOW!" screamed Fenris.

Natsu ran towards Laxus.

"This is for Lucy and everyone else you've hurt today Laxus!" Natsu said. "I won't let you do any more harm to Fairy Tail! You don't deserve the right to call yourself a member of Fairy Tail! Dragon Slayer Secret Art Crimson Lotus: Exploding Flame Blade!"

Before the hit landed, Fenris' magic depleted. He felt a sharp pain in his left arm. And he blacked out.

.

.

.

His head hurt. That was the first thing Fenris thought when he finally woke up. He felt a blanket over his body and realized he had to be in a bed. He slowly opened his eyes, squinting at first as they adjusted to the light.

When he finally saw his surroundings, he realized he was in the hospital wing of Fairy Tail. He looked around and saw the Master in a bed at the far end of the room. Before he could think on that, he heard a loud bark and suddenly a huge figure jumped on top of him. It was Faelen.

Faelen began licking his face, making him laugh, which then made him hurt. Then he heard the door open with a loud BANG and footsteps rushing towards him.

Then another figure flung their arms on top of him. He looked down and saw a wall of chestnut hair.

_Kalea…_

Then he heard a muffled sound coming from Kalea and she got up and turned her face away. He saw her hands go to her face and then a few moments later she turned around. Her eyes and nose were red but other than that she looked completely normal.

Fenris said in a hoarse voice, "I'm glad you're not a statue anymore."

She laughed, saying, "I'm glad you're not asleep anymore."

Faelen barked at that. Fenris laughed again and suddenly felt light headed. He put his hand to his head and fell back on the pillow.

"You need to rest," Kalea said, rushing to him again. "You pretty much used up all of your magic fighting Laxus Natsu told us. You also broke your arm. I'm not sure how that happened. But Porlyusica said that you used some kind of spell that had a huge effect on your body. She wouldn't say anymore but she mentioned using that spell again could be detrimental to your health. If you had used anymore, Porlyusica said you could ha-" she cut herself off. She looked away again quickly and put her hands to her face. Fenris couldn't see what she was doing.

She looked back at him and frowned. "Don't you ever do that again Fenris. I swear if you do I'll personally make sure you never use magic again," she said.

"I-uh-I mean… okay," said Fenris. He wasn't used to this aggressive side of Kalea.

When she calmed down, Kalea told him everything that happened after he blacked out. Natsu had finally beaten Laxus with that last attack. Everyone who was hurt had been brought back and healed by Porlyusica. They were all okay now and downstairs figuring out what to do with the festival. The citizens of Magnolia didn't even seem to realize anything that had been going on. They all thought it was just part of the festival. Apparently, the guild had also decided to postpone the parade two days from now because of all the commotion.

After another hour of resting, Fenris went downstairs, with the help of Kalea. When he finally reached the guild hall it erupted in cheers.

People crowded around him yelling "Congrats!" and "You did it!" and all sorts of things. When people finally left him alone, he saw Kalea watching him with apprehension.

"Kalea, relax. I'm really fine now," he assured her.

"Oh really?" she responded.

She gently touched his arm and he winced in pain. Opening his eyes, he saw her eyeing him angrily.

"Okay maybe I'm not fully healed _yet_," he said. She led him to a table where he finally sat down.

Lucy came up to him and hugged Fenris as he sat down and said, "Thanks again for your help Fen! I think the entire guild is indebted to you now!" She smiled up at him with her arms still around him. Then she glanced over to where Kalea was sitting. She suddenly let go of him and smiled awkwardly at Kalea.

"Don't worry Kalea," she said.

Kalea's cheeks burned red and she said, "What're you talking about Lucy?"

Lucy simply laughed and left the two of them alone. Faelen came up to him and licked Fenris' face. He smiled at his best friend, scratching him behind the ear. As the guild talked and laughed, everything seemed to be returning to normal. However, in the late afternoon, the door burst open and Laxus walked in.

Everyone began shouting and screaming at him. Fenris stayed where he was, too tired to get up. Kalea stayed with him as well, glaring at Laxus.

"Leave it," Erza suddenly said. The guild quieted. "He's in the medical office through here." She indicated the room upstairs.

Laxus began walking to the medical area. Then Natsu jumped out in front of him. He shouted a bunch of muffled words to Laxus and Gajeel translated. "I'm not settling for this three-on-one crap! Next time, you're going down for sure! You better fight me again sometime Laxus!"

Laxus walked past Natsu and waved. Fenris knew things were going to change. Master would have a lot to talk to him about. Once Laxus went into the medical room, chaos ensued as everyone realized they still had a parade to put on.

"WE HAVE TO GET READY FOR THE PARADE!"

"Natsu what the heck are you doing?!"

"Mira! How did you get hurt!"

"OH MY GOD NATSU YOU'RE BLEEDING!"

.

.

.

After people found out Laxus had been expelled from the guild, not everyone was excited. The Thunder Tribe especially. They were devastated. But they all had to keep moving forward. The parade was in just two days.

Kalea had come up with an idea for a float and told Fenris and Faelen about it. Fenris told her it was a fantastic idea and exclaimed they'd have the best float in the parade.

Kalea had created a fiery ice castle using Natsu and Gray's magic. She had also used Levy's script magic to create a starry sky right above their float. It looked like an image out of a fairy tale. Since Fenris was still recovering, he couldn't use too much magic. So, he had dressed up in a prince outfit and was floating on top of the castle, using his levitation, and waving to the crowd with his right hand. Faelen was running around the float barking happily while Kalea used Fenris' own magic to make things float around the castle.

Near the end of the parade, everyone in the guild made the guild sign as they discussed they would. In recognition of their comrade.

.

.

.

The guild partied all night after the parade. Fenris remembered laughing and drinking and laughing some more. He remembered trying to fight with Natsu and falling over after the first punch. He remembered Kalea scolding him for trying to fight and tying him up in a seat so he wouldn't do it again. Then Natsu untied him for round two. So Kalea used his own magic on him and forced him to sit down.

He also remembered having a drinking contest with Cana and failing miserably. He remembered Kalea getting even more drunk then him after Cana forced her into the contest. He then remembered how she followed him around the rest of the night after she got drunk. And at one point they tripped over all of the passed out bodies on the floor and he blacked out… again.

The next morning Fenris woke up with the biggest head ache. He felt a pressure on his chest and looked down. Kalea's head was on his chest and it looked like she was passed out. He didn't want to make her mad so he decided to lay there until she woke up. Besides, his head was killing him.

As he lay there, he heard Kalea muttering in her sleep. He couldn't really hear her so he didn't pay much attention. Then a few minutes later, he heard her quietly say, "Fenris…." He froze.

He looked at her for a few more minutes but she didn't say anything else.

_Why… did she say my name…_

He thought about it while he lay there. Why would she say his name… unless. No. There was no way. She couldn't…

Then she woke up. It was very abrupt. Her head flew up and she blinked a few times as she stared at Fenris. Then she yelled and bolted upright in a sitting position.

"Di-did yo-you he-hear anything?" she asked.

He knew he shouldn't admit it. "N-no."

She looked away. "Okay. I think I need to go home. I gotta shower and stuff and I smell like booze."

She got up and started walking away. Then she stopped and looked back, saying, "Meet up later? We should go on a job."

"Ye-yeah. I agree," he said.

She smiled at him. "I'll see you later."

Fenris looked around at the mess they made. Most people were still lying on the floor. Faelen was even lying on a table, upside-down, snoring. Fenris laughed, thinking about how much he loved this guild. And it seemed as though all of the hardships of the past few days had only made them grow closer.

That's what made Fairy Tail the number one guild in Fiore.

**Author's note:**

**And that's it! Hope you enjoyed it. I didn't make many changes as I didn't feel it was really necessary. Next time, we dive into a brand new arc that will be pretty significant in Fenris' story. We start to get introduced to some new characters who will play a pretty big role later in the story.**

**See you then!**


	24. Chapter 17

**Author's note:**

**Hello! I'm very excited to put out the following chapter because it sets up the beginning of a lot of things for Fenris in my story. Although this is a rather short chapter, it serves as the segway into a very important mission for him, Kalea, and Faelen. There will be plenty more to come so the next few chapters should be longer. Hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. That privilege belongs to Hiro Mashima**

It was a beautiful day as Fenris and Faelen were walking towards the guild early in the morning. And although the weather was perfect, Fenris couldn't help feel a sense of unease. Apparently, there were a lot of dark guilds on the move lately. It made him wonder what could be going on and he was curious if anyone else from the guild had heard anything.

As he entered the guild, he saw a crowd of people standing around where the job board was supposed to be. However, instead of the job board there was a large floating screen that had many names he couldn't see from where he was standing. As he approached the crowd, Kalea noticed him and waved him over.

When he reached her, he said, "Hey what's going on?"

"Mira came up with a chart of all the dark guilds that we know of," Kalea said, eyeing the lacrima screen with unease. "Haven't you heard about what's been going on? There's a bunch of dark guilds that have been attacking small villages and even some larger ones."

"Yeah I had heard about the attacks," said Fenris. "I was actually going to ask if anyone here knew what was going on."

"Pretty much everyone has a general idea of what's been happening recently," Kalea said. "But we really don't have many details. I think Mira does though. She was actually about to discuss what's been going on with everyone."

Fenris turned as he heard Mira's voice.

"The dark guilds seem to be awfully active recently. So, I think we need to work on strengthening inter-guild relations," she was saying.

"What's that big circle for?" asked Elfman.

"Ah, Juvia knows that," interjected Juvia. "That's the most powerful force amongst all the dark guilds: The Balam Alliance. The Balam Alliance is a massive force made up of three individual dark guilds. Each of these has a number of lesser guilds under its control, and thus the three of them keep the underworld in check."

"Hmmmm, so there's a bunch of dark guilds that are controlled by those three main guilds?" asked Fenris.

"Exactly," said Mira with a smile.

"Seems like that Oracion Seis guild has a lot of small guilds under their control," Kalea noted.

"About those Oracion Seis…." came a voice from the front door. Everyone turned to see the Master striding into the guild.

"We're going to take them down!" he exclaimed.

"WHAT?!" everyone shouted at the same time.

"Hi Master!" said Mira airily.

"At the regular meeting a few days ago," the Master continued. "The Oracion Seis came up on the agenda. Seems they're up to something. It was decided that this development cannot be ignored, and so a guild must be sent to eliminate them."

"And you just had to go draw the losing card as usual huh?" said Gray casually.

"Fairy Tail is taking up that responsibility?" asked Juvia.

"Not quite…" the Master said hesitantly. "The enemy is simply too large for that. If we went alone, then we would eventually end up as the sole targets of The Balam Alliance's wrath. As such… we're going to be forming an alliance of our own," said Master.

"An alliance?!" said the entire guild.

"Fairy Tail, Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale, Cait Shelter," the Master counted each guild on his hand. "Each of these guilds is to select a number of members, and those members will join forces to defeat the enemy. As such, each guild will be sending a group to team up with the other guilds to defeat the Oracion Seis."

Everyone began muttering about who would be the ones chosen.

"To get straight to the point, I've selected 5 members for this mission. They are Natsu, Gray, Erza, Happy, and Lucy," said Master.

"Wha-bu-why am I going?" asked Lucy.

Master ignored her and turned to Fenris. "Fenris. Originally, I was going to choose you as well for this mission as I believe your powers would have come in handy. However, because of your injuries during the fight with Laxus, Porlyusica informed me that you must take it easy until you are completely healed. Therefore, you cannot go on this mission," said Master.

"Bu-" began Fenris before he was interrupted by Kalea.

"If Porlyusica says no, then no," she said, her cheeks turning slightly pink. "I agree with her anyway. You still need to recover. It's only been a few weeks and I can tell you haven't gotten all your strength back."

"I guess… fine," he conceded.

A few hours later, Fenris watched on as the chosen group made their way out of the guild, assuring everyone they would do their best.

"I can't believe I'm not allowed to go…" Fenris complained. He was sitting in the guild hall with Kalea and Faelen.

"You haven't recovered Fenris. Porlyusica was right, you looked like absolute death after the fight with Laxus," said Kalea.

"I know…" he sighed. "I'm just starting to feel bored. I haven't been on a mission since the fight and I'm getting antsy."

"Well then…" Kalea stood up and went to the job board, which had been replaced earlier. A few minutes later, she came back with a flier in hand. "Here," she said, giving him the paper.

He scanned the request and was slightly disappointed. It seemed like an easy job. It was a request to help out the town of Balsam Village with a problem they've been having for a few weeks. Apparently, some dark guild has been harassing them every day and they needed help capturing them.

"This seems easy enough," he said.

"Exactly," she said, sitting back down. "You'll get to hit people but it shouldn't be too difficult. The perfect way to recover your energy and get back into the game."

"I guess you're right," Fenris said. "Should we meet up at the train station then? I gotta go home and get some stuff before we go. I wasn't really expecting to go on a job today."

"That's fine, I need to go get some stuff too," Kalea said. "How about we meet at the train station in about an hour?"

"Sounds good to me," Fenris said.

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.

.

An hour later and they were on the train to Balsam Village.

Faelen was laying with his head in Fenris' lap as Fenris stared out the window. He always found these train rides peaceful. It allowed him to think without being disturbed, which could never happen at the guild.

"Fenris," said Kalea from the seat facing him.

He looked over at her. "You really did overwork yourself with the Laxus fight," she continued. "You literally had almost no magic left because of the spell you did trying to hold him. Porlyusica said if you held it any longer you could've died."

As she finished, her cheeks flushed and she looked away. Fenris noticed this seemed to be happening more often lately. She was beginning to act more shy around him again. It reminded him a little of when they were younger but this was…slightly different. He couldn't put his finger on it though. Fenris also realized that she was right. He really hadn't expected it to be that big a deal but that spell had taken its toll on him. He had tried too hard and could've killed himself. His left arm still didn't feel perfectly normal.

"I know… I'm sorry," he said, looking back out of the window, slightly ashamed. "I won't be doing that again any time soon until I can master it some more."

He looked back at Kalea and found her looking at him. "Good," she said. "I don't want you doing it _ever_again even if you do master it unless it's against someone you know you can handle. It was stupid to try and hold Laxus. If you had died I-" she cut off.

"You what?" he asked.

"Doesn't matter," she muttered quietly.

"No. It does matter so tell me," he insisted. He was getting tired of the constant back and forth between them. Although he knew it wasn't smart to push Kalea, he hoped their relationship would allow her to open up to him more. She had told him her story, why couldn't she tell him anything else?

"I don't know Fenris!" she yelled, waking Faelen. "I honestly don't know where I was going with that! I don't really know what I would've done if you had died. I just… don't want you to die. I guess that's all I'm trying to say," she said.

"I mean… I don't want to die obviously," Fenris said. "But it's inevitable. Eventually we all die. Whether naturally or not. But I don't want anyone I care about to die either of course," he finished quickly.

"I realize that Fenris," said Kalea. "I know we'll all eventually die. It's just… I want to… have a life before that I guess is what I'm trying to say. I want to experience things. I want to see the world. I want to experience… something happy… I guess. I've told you about my past. I was not a happy child. I was never happy until I met everyone in Fairy Tail. And I am happy now don't get me wrong. I love everyone in the guild. But… I want to experience something more. I-this I stupid I have no idea where this is coming from sorry," she said quickly.

Fenris was listening intently. Ever since Kalea had confessed her childhood to him he had grown somewhat protective over her. Something inside of him just wanted to see her happy. And it seemed as though she was getting at something and he needed to know.

"No. Please. Keep going Kalea, this isn't stupid. You know you can talk to me about anything," he said.

Kalea didn't respond for a few minutes. Fenris thought she was done talking but then she continued.

"Well… it's like I said. I absolutely love everyone in the guild. But I love them all like my family. I want to experience… something more than that kind of love. I know that's the girliest thing to say but it's true I guess. But… I'm also… scared. I guess. Scared of being close to someone since the closest people I had growing up were so abusive," she finished.

Fenris felt his throat tighten when she said love. He had occasionally thought about the subject too. Not all that much. But when he was alone and thinking about the past, the thought would come up. But when he thought about it there weren't many people who he thought he could love. At least not at the guild. Everyone was like family to him there just as they were to her. Although there was one person who seemed to pop up in his mind from the guild.

Kalea.

No matter what, a picture of her would cross his mind every time. But how could he love her? She was his best friend, along with Faelen. Even if, and this was a stretch, those feelings he was having developed into any form of "love" he could never tell her. She just admitted she felt like everyone in the guild was family. And besides, her feelings towards love were obviously conflicting. As a child, we're naturally inclined to feel some sort of love to our parents. They're the ones who raise us. They feed us, give us a home, provide for us.

But Kalea's parents were different. They had abused her. But they had still provided her with all the essentials she needed to survive. Although he didn't exactly know how she felt, he could imagine her feelings about love were anything but straightforward.

But it didn't matter. He didn't like her like that… he kept telling himself. Lately though… it seemed as though he was having to tell himself that more and more. Fenris snapped back to reality as the train hit a bump.

"Uh… no no," he said. "It's not girly. It's how you feel. There's nothing wrong with feeling that way. And I mean… doesn't being scared let you know you're on to something important?"

"Yes… I suppose. But the truth is, I'm not afraid of being _in_love. I'm afraid of not being loved in return," she said quietly.

Fenris reached over and put his hand on top of hers. It was a bold move. But he felt the conversation was appropriate for it. "Kalea. You need to stop being afraid of what could go wrong and focus on what could go right. You can't be afraid of being hurt so much, that you pass up the chance of someone making you happy. Because that someone _is_out there," said Fenris.

Kalea looked at him. He felt her squeeze his hand.

"Fenris… I-" and then the conductor's voice sounded above them.

"Hello folks. We've just arrived at Balsam Village. I do hope you all enjoyed the ride and have a safe trip into the city!"

Kalea pulled her hand away. She suddenly stood up and grabbed her pack and walked down the aisle off the train. Fenris sat there for a few moments, staring at his hand. He could still feel her touch where she had squeezed it.

**Author's note:**

**There we are! Next couple of chapters we get into the mission itself and are introduced to some new guilds that will serve a vital role for Fenris in his future. See you then!**


	25. Chapter 18

**Author's note:**

**Hello once again! We begin Fenris and Kalea's job today and, with that, some really important progression in their story arcs. I will warn people that, near the end of this chapter, there are some inappropriate language not really suited for the T rating of this story. Not enough to change the rating, but I just wanted to give everyone forewarning.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. That privilege belongs to Hiro Mashima**

As Fenris exited the train, he gazed around at the small village. Even though Balsam Village was only a few hours away from Magnolia, he had never been there before. There were no large buildings like Magnolia had, rather many smaller buildings, most of which seemed like businesses. There were numerous restaurants, the biggest of which was the Super Express Restaurant. Natsu had told him about this place, being one of Natsu's favorite restaurants.

There was a massage parlor, a salon, a magical card shop, and countless other places. Fenris couldn't believe they could fit everything in such a small area. They were all situated on a river that split the town in two, with businesses on one side and what appeared to be houses on the other. As Fenris continued staring around, he noticed Kalea had already started walking towards where he assumed their hotel was.

"Hey Kalea wait up!" he shouted after her. He hurriedly caught up with her, Faelen bounding after them once he was done sniffing around the river bank.

"Do you know where the hotel is?" he asked her, slowing down to match her stride.

"Yes," she said, rather curtly.

Caught off guard by her tone, he asked, "I-what's wrong?"

"Nothing," she said.

Recognizing the signs, Fenris realized she was starting to shut herself off again. But why? They were getting along fine just moments before. What changed between the train ride and now? Knowing what she most needed was time, Fenris decided to let it go for now. He'd broach the topic again in the morning if she was still acting this way.

The walk to the hotel was spent in silence after that, the only noise coming from Faelen, who was still sniffing everything he could around the river. The town was strangely silent, even though it was still early evening. Fenris found it strange that all the businesses seemed to be closed already, it wasn't even dark out yet. His sense of uneasiness only worsened as they made their way deeper into town. He sensed something was off.

When they finally reached the hotel, they were greeted by the front desk clerk and checked in. Fenris could tell he was on edge as they exchanged pleasantries, almost seeming relieved as he handed the keys and they walked away. Kalea didn't say a word during their exchange, letting Fenris do all the talking.

As they entered their room, she immediately went to the bathroom and closed the door, the lock clicking moments later. Sighing, Fenris threw his bag onto the floor and went through it, taking Faelen's travel bowl out and filling it with water. Once Faelen was situated, he plopped down onto the couch. Before they had arrived, he was excited to get something to eat. Now he didn't think he could stomach anything.

When Faelen was finished, he jumped up onto the couch, knocking the breath out of Fenris, who was deep in thought. Groaning, he stroked Faelen's head as he drifted off, whining a little as he began dreaming. Slightly jealous of how easy his friend could fall asleep, Fenris continued stroking his fur, worried about what was to come tomorrow.

He heard the bathroom door open and glanced over, seeing Kalea silently get into bed and roll onto her side, facing away from Fenris towards the window. He still had no idea what he said to push Kalea away again, he just hoped it wouldn't last too long. Things were going so well between them lately, he couldn't understand how she had gotten like this again.

_She can be so damn temperamental,_he thought, before immediately shaking his head. He shouldn't think like that. He knew why she was like this. Her parents had broken her. They had tortured her. A child shouldn't need to go through what she did.

_But…you went through a tragedy and you aren't like this…_someone in the back of his mind said quietly. He had come out stronger for it. Sure, he still thought about his parents and friends from the past, but he didn't let it shut him down.

_Maybe…she _is _weak…_came the voice again. Fenris put his hands on his head, shaking it violently. What was going on? He never thought this way about her. He was just tired, he told himself. A good night's sleep would solve everything. Fenris slowly calmed his mind, drifting into one of his meditative trances.

_Screaming. _

_Crying. _

_Someone calling out his name._

_A nest of light brunette hair…splattered in blood._

Waking with a start, Fenris gasped and jerked up, startling Faelen awake. The big wolf gently licked his face as Fenris stared absentmindedly at the floor. He touched his face and felt a layer of sweat coat his cheek. What had that dream been about? The more he tried remembering it, the less he could remember. All he knew was that he had heard someone screaming his name. He also remembered a figure laying on the ground with blood all over it.

Glancing over to the bed, he saw Kalea was still asleep facing the window. Dragging Faelen off him, Fenris got up and went to the bathroom to splash his face. Despite the warm water rolling down his face, he felt cold all over. His hands wouldn't stop shaking and he could feel his heart beating uncontrollably. Trying to compose himself, Fenris began brushing his teeth. When he went to rinse his mouth out, he accidentally swallowed some water and coughed violently.

Reaching up, he felt his neck. Although there was nothing noticeable on his skin, it felt like it was bruised and swollen. When he tried swallowing again, he felt a small resistance as the water went down his throat. Worried, he massaged his throat, trying to ease the pain he suddenly felt.

_What the hell happened last night…_he thought.

A few minutes later, Fenris came out of the bathroom, trying to keep calm as if everything was normal. Kalea was finally up, although she was staring out the window rather than facing him.

"We should get ready to go," Fenris said, his voice sounding as if he hadn't used it in months. Kalea turned around and gave him a questioning look but he ignored her. He found he wasn't in the mood to deal with her silent treatment. Wanting to focus on the mission, Fenris got dressed in the bathroom and went down to the lobby of the hotel, waiting for Kalea to get ready.

When Kalea finally came down, they walked out of the hotel in silence and made their way to their client. They were to meet the mayor of Balsam Village at his estate near the center of the village. Upon reaching his mansion, they were greeted by a number of different people, all of whom worked under the mayor. When they finally entered his main office, they found the mayor lounging upon a couch, reading some paper scattered across a table in front of him.

"Welcome, welcome!" he greeted them pleasantly. Fenris and Kalea exchanged greetings, although neither's smile was very genuine. The mayor didn't seem to catch this, rather wanting to get straight to the point.

Apparently, every day a group of mages would attack the village, harassing people and damaging property. He told them the group were all from the same guild because they all had a guild mark on their left shoulders that showed what looked like a picture of shining light in a silvery color.

The attacks were never at the same time either. They were having a difficult time catching the mages because there was no pattern to follow. So, after hearing his story, they decided to split up to search the town for clues. Fenris went off by himself because he insisted Faelen go with Kalea. She hadn't really protested so now, a few hours after their meeting, Fenris was walking along the streets by himself.

As he walked through the town, he found himself getting annoyed at every little thing around him. From the people walking in his way to the vendors shouting about their wares. Why couldn't they just shut up? He needed to concentrate to find these mages. He was trying to protect _their _town so why couldn't they be more cooperative?

Passing yet another restaurant, he paused, his nose catching the scent of a familiar dish. When he was younger, his mother would always cook him a special dish on his birthday. His father would go out the day before to hunt the biggest deer he could find in the forest. Occasionally, he would even bring Fenris along if there were no other chores to be done. When he returned, he would prepare the deer for his mother to cook, which took an entire day.

Although he didn't know exactly what she cooked it with, the end product was all that mattered to him. Accompanied with a side of greens and potatoes, the meat was so tender it almost melted in his mouth with every bite. It was his absolute favorite dish and always reminded him of his mother.

The familiar scent in an unfamiliar town brought a sense of confusion to Fenris that he was in no mood for. His mind drifted off to thoughts of his parents, who were no longer with him. Why were they gone? Why did they have to leave him? It was unfair. All of it. His entire life was taken away from him and he still had no idea why. The thought was making him even more angry and he knew he had to get as far away from that restaurant as possible.

But before he could take another step, a couple walked out of the restaurant, hand in hand, the woman laughing at something the man had just said. Seeing them, Fenris felt something familiar tighten in his chest. He thought of Kalea. But thinking of Kalea only made him remember she wasn't speaking to him.

He stomped away from the couple, wishing spiteful things that he knew he shouldn't. The rest of the day was filled with nothing but hateful thoughts and no new leads to their dark guild search. When the sun began to set, Fenris finally gave up and made his way back to the hotel. Kalea and Faelen were already in the room, Faelen resting on the couch while Kalea was out on the porch. Faelen's ears perked up as Fenris entered the room, getting up from the couch and lazily walking into Fenris' legs. Fenris laid a hand on his head, scratching the top of his nose, watching Kalea from where he stood.

He knew she had heard the door open and close, but she hadn't reacted to his entering the room. Scoffing under his breath, Fenris got ready for bed, hoping his dreams would distract him from his terrible mood.

The following morning, Fenris woke up and felt like he had been hit by a truck. Although he hadn't had any nightmares, he felt worse than the day before physically. Beginning to wish he could just drop this job altogether, he groaned and got up, pushing Faelen off him. Kalea was still asleep when he entered the bathroom, but by the time he was out, she had woken up and was sitting in bed, facing him.

Seeing her finally look at him didn't make him happy as he thought it would. Instead, it made him frustrated and wanting to get away from her. He put on his shoes as quickly as he could and stepped towards the door when he heard her voice.

"Fenris…I-" her voice was cut off as he slammed the door behind him.

He left the hotel and went off, thinking about nothing but getting away from her. He wandered the streets for about a half hour before he remembered why they were there in the first place. Frowning, he set off and opened his mind, searching for any sign of the dark guild.

Despite her seeming to want to talk, Fenris found he was still annoyed at Kalea. Why couldn't she just be normal for once? Why did she always have to box him out of her life when he was only ever trying to help. The more he thought about their situation, the angrier he found he became. And as he became angrier, he also became more frustrated. At her for acting the way she did sometimes. At himself for allowing his anger to take control. But he was finding he couldn't stop it.

"GAH!" Fenris shouted, suddenly finding himself lying face down on the ground. He looked up and saw a sign outside of a restaurant lying before him, having run straight into it while he was in his own thoughts. His anger taking control, Fenris got up and was about to tear the sign apart when a scream ripped through the air.

"THIEVESS!"

Looking down the street for the source of the noise, Fenris saw a group of large figures break through a window of a shop and tumble through the street. They crashed into a group of onlookers and, not paying attention to the group they knocked down, began sprinting down the street away from the shop.

Realizing these could be the mages he was after, Fenris jumped up and ran after them. He enhanced his speed with his powers, catching up quickly to the largest of the group, who wasn't very quick. He tackled the figure to the ground while the other mages were running away. It didn't seem like they even noticed their guild mate had been captured. The man, based on his heavy grunts, struggled underneath him but Fenris punched him twice in the stomach and he keeled over in pain. He wasn't very strong despite his bulk so Fenris was able to hold him to the ground and began questioning him.

"Who the hell are you?!" he asked, more aggressively than he meant to. "What guild are you from? Why are you attacking this city? Answer me damn it!" He punched the man again.

"I wouldn't tell you even if you threatened to kill me you bastard," the man said, spitting in his face. "You light guild idiots think you're so damn tough. But you'll soon learn. This is just the beginning. Soon, the real fun will begin hehehehe."

Fenris punched him in the face but the man kept laughing. So Fenris punched him again.

And again.

And again.

"Wha-wait! WAIT! I'll tell you! P-pl-please stop!" The man screamed, but Fenris ignored him. He kept punching, his mind going blank. As he pulled his hand back again someone grabbed it and yanked him off the man on the ground. He fell to the ground and looked up. Kalea was staring at him with Faelen growling next to her.

"What are you doing?!" she yelled at him. "You could have killed him Fenris! What is wrong with you?!"

Despite the anger in her voice, he could see fear in her eyes as she yelled. Fenris looked at the man lying there. His face was a bloody mess. Both eyes were swollen shut and his nose was broken. Fenris looked down at his hand and saw his knuckles were bruised and bloodied. He didn't know what came over him.

"I-I… don't know. I-I just…" he couldn't answer her.

She looked down at the man and kneeled next to him. "I'm sorry. My _partner_went too far. We'll take you to a hospital," she said. She pulled the man on top of Faelen and the two walked away, leaving Fenris lying on the ground still wondering what came over him.

An hour later Fenris finally found them at one of the medical centers in Balsam Village. They were in a back room where the mage was lying in a bed, half his face covered in bandages. As Fenris walked in, Kalea turned around and saw him. She quickly looked back down at the man she was talking to.

"Is that the only reason you've been doing this?" she asked him.

"Ye-yes," he stuttered. "We were just told to by the higher ups. We really don't know why. I-I'm sorry. I honestly didn't want to join this guild. But… I had no choice. They've been recruiting people everywhere they can. They threaten our families if we don't join them."

"It's alright," she assured him. "Get some rest now. We'll be back later to check up on you. And don't worry, we'll take care of your guild."

The trio left the room and Fenris followed Kalea as she walked out of the hospital. They continued in silence, walking all the way back to their hotel and into their room. When Fenris closed the door, he turned around and was greeted by a stern looking Kalea. Faelen jumped onto the bed, looking at them both with wary eyes.

"Well? I'm waiting for an answer as to why you decided to try and kill someone," she said.

"I-I told you… I don't know what happened," said Fenris. "It's like… everything that's been happening lately just… came out. The guy was going on about how the real fun would begin soon and all this junk. I'm… sorry. I didn't mean to do it."

"That is _not_good enough Fenris," she yelled at him. "You went insane! I have _never_seen you like that. There is _no excuse_for you. I'm so angry I could just scream at you for hours and not be satisfied. But I'm not going to. We have more important things to discuss and you need to get your head straight _now_and focus. Hear me?"

"….yes," he responded quietly. He wanted to respond in an equally abrasive tone, but he wasn't used to hearing this sort of thing from Kalea. He'd never seen her so angry.

"Good," she continued. "Now then. I was able to get all the information we needed out of that man unlike you. Turns out he's from a guild called the Silverlight guild. They're a small dark guild under the Balam Alliance. BUT, it turns out there's a fourth guild with the Balam Alliance. They're a new dark guild that apparently came from nowhere and rose up very quickly. Supposedly they are powerful enough to join the Alliance right from the start, which means they're dangerous. They're called the Armifera Fatum Guild. It translates to Bearer of Fate, whatever that's supposed to mean. The Armifera Fatum controls this Silverlight guild and it sounds like the Silverlight group are basically just a nobody guild who gathers supplies for the higher ups. The Armifera Fatum guild has been highly active lately and has been requesting all of their small guilds to gather supplies for them and recruit members like crazy. That's how that guy got roped in. He was just an independent mage until he was captured and threatened to join Silverlight. That's why they've been attacking the village, to gather supplies. As for attacking people, they were told to sow chaos into Fiore for whatever reason. He said something's about to happen. Something big. I think once we get back to the guild we need to tell Master about everything we've learned because the Magic Council needs to know about this new dark guild. But before that, we need to investigate this Silverlight group. He told me where they were located. It's in the forest on the outskirts of town. They only have about 20 or so members and they stay in some cave in the middle of the forest. If we catch them by surprise, we can easily take them out so we're leaving now to go get them. Let's go."

Before he could respond, Kalea walked out the door, Faelen bounding after her. He watched her leave, wondering how he got into this situation. Nobody ever made Kalea talk like this, especially Fenris. He got up and ran after them, catching up a few blocks away. Kalea was marching towards the outskirts of the town, going to where Fenris assumed the hideout of Silverlight was.

"Kalea, do you even know where you're going?" he asked.

"Yes, of course I do. Because like I said, I was actually able to get information from the guy. Unlike you," she said, not looking at him.

Fenris looked down at his feet, not knowing what to say. He felt ashamed of himself. It was as if a veil had come up around him after she pulled him off that mage. He still didn't understand what had come over him, but he knew something was wrong with him. They eventually reached the forest, Kalea stopping to admire the vastness in front of them. The tree were so thick he couldn't see more than a few feet in any direction. Silently, they entered the forest, engulfed by the darkness within a few seconds. Fenris tried sensing for anyone else but he felt nothing as they continued walking.

Fenris couldn't have said how long they were meandering around the forest, but he was close to giving up for the day when Faelen stiffened, making Kalea and Fenris stop in their tracks. He began sniffing the air for a few moments and then took off running. Fenris ran after him with Kalea close behind. He ran after Faelen until he saw the large wolf stop abruptly. As he caught up to him, he saw Faelen had stopped in front of a large cave that seemed to come out of nowhere. The wolf's eyes were obviously much keener than his in this darkness.

Kalea ran up beside him just a few seconds later. "I guess this must be the place. It seems to fit the description. Good boy Faelen! You're the best!" she said.

Faelen barked happily at her and continued into the cave. Kalea followed him in, Fenris trailing after her and they were soon pitched into even deeper darkness than the forest.

Kalea's hand lit up with fire magic a few moments later and the cave was illuminated by light. It was a rather large cave and the walls seemed much too smooth to be natural. The trio began walking slowly through the cave, following the light of Kalea's magic.

"How far back do you think this goes," Fenris whispered to Kalea.

"I don't know," she whispered back. "I don't think it goes too far back though. If Silverlight is here, then we'll probably find them sooner rather than later."

After walking through the cave for another few minutes, Fenris paused. He thought he heard voices so he indicated to Kalea and Faelen to stop walking. He listened intently and then, moments later, he heard them. There was a large group ahead of them. He didn't know how far but they were definitely getting close.

"Someone's up ahead. I only hear one voice but it could be them," he whispered.

"Alright. Let's try getting closer than," said Kalea as she extinguished the flames on her hand.

They slowly continued walking and found themselves near a turn up ahead. Fenris stopped Kalea and Faelen and crept over to the turn. He peered around it and saw figures up ahead. The cave expanded around the turn and stretched even further across. He couldn't tell for sure but he figured there had to be about 20 people all standing around a large fire. There were tents all over the place and he had a suspicion these had to be the members of Silverlight.

He turned back to Kalea and whispered, "There are people up ahead. It has to be them right?"

"I don't see who else it could be," she whispered back.

"Alright, well now that we found them maybe we sho-" before he could finish his sentence a large hand came up from behind him and closed around his mouth.

He saw two figures come up behind Kalea and Faelen and subdue them at the same time. Fenris struggled against the man and almost got his body free before two other figures grabbed him.

He, along with Kalea and Faelen, were dragged over to where the rest of the people were. Fenris continued struggling against his captives but there were too many holding on to him, he couldn't break free. They were brought over to the fire and forced to stand in front of a large man holding a staff. He sneered down at them.

"Well! It appears we have guests! Welcome to our lovely abode my young friends," the man looked down at each of them in turn, his eyes lingering on Kalea.

His sneer got even wider. "My, my! What a _lovely_young lady we have here don't we boys," he said out loud to the other members of the guild. Everyone began wolf whistling and coming closer to get a look at Kalea. Fenris' emotions were beginning to boil over again.

"My name is Cruz Hartford young lady. And what might yours be?" he asked Kalea. As he talked, he placed one hand on her cheek. Faelen snarled.

"GET THE HELL OFF HER," Fenris yelled as his captor's hands loosened around his mouth.

Cruz looked over at him. "And why would I do that? Your friend is just the thing I've been looking for. It's been awfully… _dull_here lately. She'll make for some fine entertainment," he said, a look of longing in his eyes.

As his hand moved towards her lips, Kalea jerked her head away and spit in his face. The cave instantly went silent. A few moments there was a loud _slap_ sound as the man backhanded Kalea on the cheek. Her head went limp instantly.

Fenris' rage boiled over quicker than he intended. "YOU BASTARD! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!" he screamed at the top of his lungs.

Cruz just laughed. "I don't think so. Boys, tie our guest over there. I think we'll have some fun with this one for a while."

The men holding him began to pull him towards the wall. They also dragged Faelen over to a cage as the large wolf fought back. But Fenris was angry. Angrier then he had ever been. And as his anger grew, he felt his magical energy build up. Cruz dragged Kalea over to a group of men. The sight made him even more angry.

Eventually, he felt as though he couldn't contain his magic any longer. He was just _so angry_, he felt like he would explode if he didn't release the magic. The frustration, the anger, it was all too much for him. As the magic came to a boiling point in his body, he let it go, no thought as to where it was going.

The men holding him were blown away by the blast of Force magic emanating from his body. They flew backwards across the cave and slammed into the far wall. The men holding Faelen let go and backed away from the force of his magic.

Fenris stood up, although his body seemed to be moving without conscious thought. The pure magical energy that had come out of him almost making him lose consciousness. The only thing he could think of… was to make them suffer. As members of the dark guild got over their initial shock, they began to run at him. Fenris used his Force Impact and knocked them all aside without any effort. Men continued running at him but, with a flick of his hand, they were sent flying into walls.

One man managed to get through his magic and, as he got closer, released a ball of blue fire at Fenris. Fenris managed to pirouette around the ball of fire, feeling the heat from the magic blister the back of his neck. Coming out of his turn, he used Force Push to shove the man into a wall, knocking him unconscious.

While he was distracted, another group came up from behind him, almost catching him off guard. However, his senses seemed unusually heightened with his rage, allowing him to sense their presence moments before they caught him. He leaped up, using his powers to jump higher than usual, and backflipped around the group. He Force Pulled one towards him, striking his neck at a pressure point. With him dispatched, his focus turned towards the other two.

They were upon him in moments, not allowing him to use any of his powers before he could react. One of them struck at his left side but he blocked that one both hands, grasping the man's arm and, using the momentum of his own swing, flung him into the other man.

Now there were only a few members left before he reached Cruz. As he battled on, his anger continued rising, making his strikes even more violent. He kicked one man in the leg, feeling the bones break under his swing. He exchanged blows with another man, their fists colliding at one point and the man's entire hand shattered under his punch. Soon, there was only Cruz left, cowering as far back as he could with no means of escape.

As Fenris approached him, his anger rising ever more, he started to see black dots near the edge of his vision. Moments later, his head began to feel fuzzy and his vision began to blur. Still, he did not lose stride, as if his body was moving without his permission.

As his vision continued to fade and he began to lose consciousness, the last thing he remembered was lifting his hand…and the look of pure horror on Cruz's face.

**Author's note:**

**And there we are! Please feel free to give some critics on the fighting aspects of this chapter. I'm still not really great at describing them so I apologize if they weren't up to scratch. Next time we continue with the mission so see you then!**


	26. Hiatus

Hello everyone,

After some pretty negative feedback, I've decided to put this story on hiatus to rethink some aspects of it. I'm not sure if I will be returning and I am sincerely sorry if there are people who were interested in where this was going.

Hopefully I will be back. Stay safe everyone.


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